Hey, look, the sun is out. Let me go and play paparazzo to the bumblebees. They are buzzing but so, alas, are the neighbourhood lawnmowers. Overhead, a bird is fussing and fussing: must be mad at me for sitting in the bumblebees' flower patch.
Wait! What's that in the sky? Oh, a turkey vulture. No wonder the bird was yelling. It wasn't me, after all. Go ahead and sound the alarm, sir or madam. If a jumbo jet started circling over my house, I'd put up a fuss, too.
So hello, my feathered and fuzzy friends. In a way, I am sad about the passing of Pope Francis. Even non-Catholics will miss him; he was a lovely man. I trust he is enjoying his new address and that he has found some kind-eyed dogs to talk to. I would say something fatuous about how I hope the college of cardinals exercises much wisdom in their choice of a successor, but I watched that movie, too. Thanks a lot, Amazon Prime. Okay, I'll admit I'm rooting for Cardinal Pizzaballa for entirely frivolous reasons. I want to hear every reporter in the world trying to say 'Pizzaballa'.
I'm glad there's poetry in this issue. Not all of it is mine, so people had better pay attention. The poetry has pretty pictures, too. Not everybody gets such wisdom served up to them online, for free, with no propaganda. I mean, that's rare these days, so I hope the readers appreciate. You think they will?
Another thing they should appreciate is the fact that this week marks the arrival of the 900th cinema review column by Awix. Who else do we know who has done something like that? This film stars a penguin. I like penguins, especially the ones who defeated the US government.
What else have I got to entertain the humans with this week, besides the usual weird humour and an old quiz I rescued from the 'got-stolen-by-ransomware' file? Well, we've got a lot of birds. Water birds from all over the UK. And that Eastern Towhee I was lucky enough to spot out my window one morning. First one I've seen in five years, and he barely hung around long enough for a quick snap, but I'll take it. Paigetheoracle saw some Mandarin Ducks, and SashaQ got the really cool shots. There are even goslings from Angel LiaDan. Oh, and flowers, of course. It's the season for flowers.
In short, oh birds and bees, I hope they enjoy this week's issue. Enough to share it around with the other humans. Enough to send in more photos and poems and stories. After all, y'all have been nice enough to show up in my yard, pollinate a few flowers, dig up a worm or two, have some babies in the trees. The least we can do is show our appreciation. And yes, the bird feeder's been refilled and the hummingbird nectar's out.
Dmitri Gheorgheni
|
Why should you buy
h2g2 fiction? | Proceeds go to site upkeep. | Plus, they're fun to read.
And make great gifts. | Click the pics for details. |
Quote of the Week:
Today's builders of Babel tell us that there is no room for losers, and that those who fall along the way are losers. Theirs is the construction site of Hell.
Pope Francis, olav ha-sholom
|
