Morning has Broken

Thursday, 25th November 2004
Wild West Yorkshire nature diary

Morning has broken, Like the first morning, Blackbird has spoken, Like the first day

There couldn't be a better hymn to sing at the funeral of our neighbour Barbara, who died suddenly last week. In his eulogy Father Peter tells us that one of the last things she said to her husband was; 'Don't forget to feed the birds!'

In this diary I've grumbled about neighbours' stray chickens or manic dogs but they're a good lot really, coming together recently when a treasured 150 year old tree was threatened (and felled). We can't, of course, compete with the powers that be - the developers, their infallible consultants and a local council that's seen more than it's fair share of underhand dealings - but it's a great feeling to know that, when it comes to it, our neighbours feel so deeply about this beautiful but beset corner of the Calder valley.

I'll remember Barbara's smile . . . and that twinkle in her eye.

Drawing and Music Pen

How can I resist the Manuscript 'Drawing and Music Pen' when I spot it in Calder Graphics in Huddersfield? I test it out on the view through the window as the light fades: a view which consists, as usual, of the ponies munching through their ration of hay.

It's a standard fountain pen that feels as if it wouldn't have minded if it had ended up in a composer's hands. This gives it a slightly crisper feel than my Rotring Art Pen. The art pen is relaxed and will waltz around the page; the music pen wants to do a bit of zigzagging: more like a tango than a waltz.

Richard Bell, richard@willowisland.co.uk