
as if in the dark
I glimpse you
a light shining through you
tracing the edges of your being
against the trees
eyes misted
limbs windswept
singing silent
at the edge of spring…

Gill McGrath © March 23
looks like a place to sit
Looking for the Moon
Lines…..
looking at birds looking at the sunset…
this morning ~a grey partial eclipse in the haze
as it was…
the first sign of sun… no sign of the moon yet! 8.27am
grey sky over the field ~ no sign of anything!. 8.32am


The dove sat there for most of the time!
The sky was filled with grey cloud over the haze so when the sun peeked in and out of the cloud the mists defined the shape of the moon against the sun without the glare.
Gill McGrath© March 20 morning Yeh!
The Duke is talking again: Its all change! It’s Spring!
THE STORY SO FAR: Always second to Pablo the King, Duke the Rooster is learning to live with the fact that he is not the boss at Uncle Spike’s farm. Its not all bad though……. read on:
Today we have a picture of Miss Fluffy Bum at last!
Straight from the pen of the talking bird who lives on Uncle Spikes Farm in Türkiye reachable at Uncle Spikes Adventures you can find Dukes earlier diary episodes by pressing the Rooster logo here…..
Episode 5 “All change here Aunty Gill”
Yo Aunty Gill, it’s me again, Duke-Cocka-Locky, your rooster nephew from Türkiye.
Spring has sprunged here Aunty Gill, and that cold weather has moved away – yay!! Sure, it was fun to try and keep warm chasing after Miss Fluffy Bum, but I really don’t like the soggy stuff; it didn’t do much for my delicate but manly feathers either! See what I mean??
I wanted to tell you about things here with Miss Fluffy Bum. Well, try as I might to get a nice foto for ya, she wasn’t that pleased to get a selfie with me, but Farmer Spike managed to get this next shot…. But she didn’t half whinge about it later in the chook house – I mean, just look at her face, not a happy lady!
Shortly after that, things all changed around here. Farmer and Misses Spike went away, and a neighbour farmer lady looked after us. It’s also that time of year when new jobs come on offer, and Miss Fluffy Bum decided it was time to move on. I’m not sad though Aunty Gill, as I understand that to volunteer to go live with Mrs Fox to help feed her babies is an honourable job for any chook, and especially so for a girl with a fluffy derriere. But I’m ok, really Aunty Gill… coz look at my new gal, she’s called Mary.
Ok, so I may not be boss-man yet around here, but Pablo seems a little happier to let me ‘do my thing’, which is fine by me. He likes to be all macho and stand on guard, whilst I ‘look after’ the ladies; in my book that’s called fair job distribution, and so you’ll hear no complaints from me!! Here I am with the gang a few days ago up by the farmhouse.
I do wonder if Miss Fluffy Bum likes her new job, I hope so. She was never gonna be one for writing, not like me, but we are all proud of her having moved on to bigger and better things. Mrs Fox likes to pop by every now and then, even during office hours, but whilst she does the occasional interview, I guess none of us match up to the high standard she needs to help out at her house.
Oh, there’s Mary walking past… Sorry Aunty Gill, duty calls…
Love, your Rooster Nephew, Duke xx
Uncle Spikes Farm in Türkiye reachable at Uncle Spikes Adventures
Dear Duke
Lovely to hear from you again. What a shock to hear that Miss Fluffy Bum has moved on, and so suddenly. Didn’t expect that! Don’t worry if she doesn’t write to you. We can only hope she likes her new bosses as much as they took to her ! Anyway Mary looks like nice company for you; and as for Spring, it must be pretty wonderful where you are. So Good times ahead for sure Duke…..
Love Auntie Gill xx
PS. See you same time next month
Uncle Spikes Farm in Türkiye reachable at Uncle Spikes Adventures
looking at the slow fall of a pastel sun ~
petals murmuring spring
the old guard waits for the spring …..
the new goose
scratches
by the wire
thinking spring
time to guard the park
Giant Gunnera shields
her new shoots
in the dark
dreaming
her own fire
old watering hole
waiting for hundreds
new
pilgrims in the yard
cafe sleeps
curtains drawn
still
with no regard ~
Gill McGrath© March 17
The Golden Cross, Oxford
Before commercial inns came into being monasteries were obliged to provide food and shelter for travellers. The place where The Golden Cross stands today was always a destination or a shelter for pilgrims and travellers. Gifted in 1193 to Osney Abbey during the reign of Richard I, it was immediately sold to a vintner named Mauger and known as Mauger’s Hall in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, providing stabling, refreshment and chambers to a large number of people. It was owned by New College (Oxford University) for more than four hundred years from 1390 to 1810. Now a Pizza Express.
(Information from a leaflet printed 1912 by Oxford Architectural and Historical Society. About building conservation)

















































