A Light Exists in Spring…

Algy relaxed in the safety of the wee corner he had found, and basked in the unaccustomed warmth of the early spring sunlight. The wind was still icy, but in a sheltered spot it felt comfortably pleasant – as is so often the case in the wild west Highlands of Scotland when the sun deigns to shine…

It was the vernal equinox, and as Algy gazed at the bright colours glowing all around him, he rejoiced at the start of the light half of the year – and remembered some lines from a poem he had read, although he felt that its reference to human nature was a wee bit restrictive…

A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here

A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That silence cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.

Algy wishes all his friends in the northern hemisphere a very Happy Spring!

[Algy is quoting the first two stanzas of a A Light Exists in Spring by the 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson.]

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Safety Precautions

As the ferry moved further out to sea, Algy began to feel a wee bit nervous. Fluffy birds cannot swim – not even a few strokes – and he began to wonder what would happen if his new mode of transport were to sink into the briny deep. Of course fluffy birds can fly, perfectly well, and there was nothing except fear to prevent him from flying back across the waves to the safety of terra firma, if the need should arise.

Nevertheless, Algy felt that it was better to be on the safe side. Paying close attention to the many notices scattered about, in accordance with the instructions which had been broadcast so loudly when the boat had sailed away from the slipway, Algy found his way to the most promising of the various types of emergency equipment provided, and tucked himself happily into a comfortable corner of an exceedingly orange contraption, which was provided with an odd assortment of perches…