Friday 23rd December (Dark, Dank, December)


Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window into a dark, dank, December morning. The trees swayed gently lit up by the street lights. At this time of the morning the sun was still behind the horizon. Today Mr. Kite and His Lady are going to London.

Waiting for the coach Mr. Kite looked into a plane tree and thought that 'this is a good time to look at trees'. This tree had hundreds of round baubles hanging from the branches. At the turning of the year it is the time to study those naked trees to look at their shape and structure. In another tree sat two collared doves sitting side by side silhouetted against the grey sky.

Once the trip started Mr. Kite looked at trees with orange, red and yellow fruit; all pretty stunning. Another stunning site was three hares covorting around a field as if it was spring.

On reaching London Mr. Kite started his Winter Solstice bird list; a day later than planned because of that upset gut. Peering into the gloom of cloudy London Mr. Kite picked out black-headed gull, carrion crow, wood pigeon, feral pigeon, magpie and lesser black-backed gull. Lastly Mr. Kite watched a blackbird fly between bushes. This was not an ordinary male blackbird but one who had decorated his tail with white feathers just for Christmas. Nearby, this was on Finchley Road, sat more Christmas creatures including a goat and a sheep: the shepherds must be on their way to Bethlehem.

Now Mr. Kite had planned to reach the Thames to watch a few London ducks but as the clouds dropped their rain and the light faded Mr, Kite walked slowly along Oxford Street where he noticed a 'winged figure'. This was not quite a bird and not one to be listed but a Barbara Hepworth sculpture nailed to the side of a big shop.

Soon it was time for Mr. Kite to return to The London Residence to dry out. So Mr. Kite had seen some London birds and then enjoyed a few tipples of London Pride. Cheers to the bird, bees and beer of London.