The Ship is a fount of knowledge. All these years I had believed the farthing bird was a robin. Now I also remember it was considered clever among very young people to suppress the 'h' in farthing.
I dug one up in my garden a few months ago. I know there is some way of making it shiny again, does anyone know?
The Ship is a fount of knowledge. All these years I had believed the farthing bird was a robin. Now I also remember it was considered clever among very young people to suppress the 'h' in farthing.
I dug one up in my garden a few months ago. I know there is some way of making it shiny again, does anyone know?
Pop it in coke a cola for an hour then polish it with a cloth.
Last time in hospital with a broken arm they did a return home assessment. It was funny given that I had a broken arm, they were quite concerned about whether I could get on or off bed OK and whether I could walk up and down stairs. Not nearly as concerned about whether I could put clothes on or wash myself.
All right I broke it going downstairs but that was because I misjudged the end of the stairs.
This is because if you can’t wash and dress yourself, it’s fairly easy to put in temporary home care to assist you with these tasks (many local authorities will offer this service free of charge for up to 6 weeks). But if a carer has to assist you out of bed or physically support you on the stairs, he/she may well injure their back. And it’s a very expensive option to put in a temporary stair lift if you don’t need one long term.
I'm just too young to remember farthings, but I'd always imagined the little bird to be a sparrow - from the Biblical quote about two sparrows being sold for a farthing.* You learn something new every day!
[tangent]
* there's a carving of two sparrows on the choir stalls in St Magnus Cathedral, which I assume does refer to that verse.
[/tangent]
So many people not recognising a wren has made me feel old - it's realising that the farthing has not exised, even as a memory, for most folks that has suddenly brought it home to me.
Sad to think that the little Jenny Wren, and its distinctive cocked tail is rarely seen scuttling in the hedge-bottoms nowadays.
I regularly see wrens in the hedges round here, so they are still around. The RSPB site says it is the most common UK breeding bird.
And I knew it was a wren on the back, even though I was born several years later.
The Ship is a fount of knowledge. All these years I had believed the farthing bird was a robin. Now I also remember it was considered clever among very young people to suppress the 'h' in farthing.
I dug one up in my garden a few months ago. I know there is some way of making it shiny again, does anyone know?
Pop it in coke a cola for an hour then polish it with a cloth.
I regularly see wrens in the hedges round here, so they are still around. The RSPB site says it is the most common UK breeding bird.
And I knew it was a wren on the back, even though I was born several years later.
We have had a brood hatch somewhere nearby, as I've seen fledglings in our garden recently.
The Ship is a fount of knowledge. All these years I had believed the farthing bird was a robin. Now I also remember it was considered clever among very young people to suppress the 'h' in farthing.
I dug one up in my garden a few months ago. I know there is some way of making it shiny again, does anyone know?
I have spent part of this morning setting up a small photograph album of pictures from my son's recent wedding, which I shall be carrying around in my bag for the foreseeable future and showing off at every available opportunity. People mostly show such things on their phones these days but, yeah, I'm old.
As an aside, when son and DiL had their second child, they told their first they were to have a new baby. First child started referring to the fetus as a little birdie. When second child born, she was named "Wren." Wren is four years old, now.
Comments
I dug one up in my garden a few months ago. I know there is some way of making it shiny again, does anyone know?
Pop it in coke a cola for an hour then polish it with a cloth.
This is because if you can’t wash and dress yourself, it’s fairly easy to put in temporary home care to assist you with these tasks (many local authorities will offer this service free of charge for up to 6 weeks). But if a carer has to assist you out of bed or physically support you on the stairs, he/she may well injure their back. And it’s a very expensive option to put in a temporary stair lift if you don’t need one long term.
[tangent]
* there's a carving of two sparrows on the choir stalls in St Magnus Cathedral, which I assume does refer to that verse.
[/tangent]
Sad to think that the little Jenny Wren, and its distinctive cocked tail is rarely seen scuttling in the hedge-bottoms nowadays.
And I knew it was a wren on the back, even though I was born several years later.
I tried that, it didn't work!
We have had a brood hatch somewhere nearby, as I've seen fledglings in our garden recently.
Overnight smeared with ketchup can help.