This morning a flock of geese flew over. I heard them before I saw them, flying in the clear blue sky in a ‘V’ formation.
All of a sudden I was transported back to over 30 years ago when I lived on the farm. Flocks of geese would arrive to make short work of the new shoots of wheat. Come harvest time there would be quite a bald patch in the corner of the field. I used to go out for a walk with my collie, Elkie. Although she wasn’t trained to herd sheep, she definitely had the herding instinct and would go down onto her tummy and shuffle silently towards the geese. Then she would wait for my command, struggling to stop her tail wagging. “Sedemoff!” (send them off) meant that she had permission to rush at them barking and they would rise into the air, a noisy cloud of surprised geese.
For a little while I had a lump in my throat, Elkie is long gone, the farm is no longer a farm and I live in a different country.
Into my heart an air that kills from yon far country blows... know how you feel. I like seeing geese pass over high and silent at night, but long for far places.
ReplyDeleteAwwww..... it's funny for us, as the geese flying in a V formation is very novel. I do, however, understand how scenes can bring back old memories of loved ones...
ReplyDeleteAhhh. In a poignant way this is rather a beautiful image.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working our allotment in the Autumn, flocks of geese flew overhead and then I'd hear "bang, bang" from the nearby farm. Now I know why.
Several V formations passed overhead today, all going in different directions...
ReplyDeleteThe geese don't come over this part of Leicestershire now. Too many people have shotguns. I think the geese know now, and fly a different route.
ReplyDeleteDru: Exactly. It's not really homesickness, just time sickness.
ReplyDeleteKath: They swap round when they are tired - all to do with airodynamics.
Doris: we always had goose at Christmas when I was a child - however, I hate the thought of these wild ones being shot at.
Caroline: Time to pause and dream of far off places?
keith: Logical. They soon learn.
The geese around here aren't usually that organized as to fly in perfect formation. They are rather haphazard.
ReplyDeleteLinda: hello, thank you for commenting. I think that these geese may have been migrating. They take turns to lead and change around when they are tired, they can fly further that way.
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