You might like to check out the beautiful music of Tenzin Choegyal if you don’t know it already.
Tenzin Choegyal. Beautiful music, beautiful soul!
It is a very special weekend for my family which I’m not at liberty to say anything more about this week! I’ve been sworn to secrecy, which is all part of the excitement. However it’s all part of that beautiful ebb and flow, change and adventure that is part of our family life and has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Despite the loss of my mother when I was only four weeks old and the absence of her in my life for the next fifty years I always accepted that this was my life and I have lived it as fully as possible. In large and small ways I have tried to achieve the things I wanted to do, be, see and become. I never had great ambitions or big dreams and have often let life roll out as it will, “going with the flow’ we used to call it way back.
As an example I have always had a special affinity with birds and animals and had wanted to keep geese for many years, probably from the time I had a close-ish encounter when I was quite small. I was very impressed and geese keep popping up in my life for decades. At one time I regularly travelled to North Yorkshire and the journey involved passing a picturesque old farmhouse which had a low stone wall at the front where a small flock of geese often sat to preen themselves and to be on guard. I looked forward to those sightings. I find geese very calming, soothing in their solidity and fascinating for their intelligence. They have emotions and feelings, which are usually expressed by the set of their heads, the turn of their necks, the expression in their eyes and the way the hold their feathers. Of course I knew nothing of how to live with them then and it took many years before I lived in a place where I could keep them and get to know their habits. Eventually two came to live with me, rescued from the threat of the axe because they had been unfortunate enough to live in the wrong place with the wrong person. It was a steep learning curve. In taking them out of their restraining bags after the journey home, I was deeply scratched on the arm by one nervous gander, entirely my own fault through inexperience and clumsy handling. It never happened again and we all settled down to an idyllic life. They have 12.5 acres to wander in, a dam which is sometimes full and a big house where they have room to sleep, move and nest. It was in some ways a small thing to achieve, but one I have never regretted and which taught me so much, brought me some much joy and continues to do so. I am unable to have the active life with them that I used to, but they come regularly to talk to me, look at me through the window to check what I’m up to and call for tip-bits which I save for them in “The Goose Bucket”. The relationship is deeply satisfying, full of humour and enjoyment. How many human relationships can we say that about?
Have a wonderful weekend!
