Overheard…

I spend several hours a day out, mainly because I get sidetracked when I’m at home and can’t do  my thinking, or reading.

If I go out to read I sit in a park and people watch when my back starts to ache and I know I’ve been there, motionless, for over an hour.

The whole neighbourhood of mothers and their children pass by.  For the most part everyone is happy, in fact hardly a tantrum is witnessed in these venues unless there is an ice cream van close.  Then begins the battles of wills for and against having an ice cream so close to tea time.

I try to sit away from the playground and the soft serve.

Yesterday I overheard a conversation between a lady and her young charge who looked about six.  They had a bag of crusts for the ducks and the lady was saying,

“Now tell me Deidre, why does the doctor want to take a picture of your brain?”

I say “Lady” because surely her mother would not be asking this question?

They walked on before I had the benefit of Deidre’s answer.  I wondered why also.

I saw boys kicking a ball that looked exactly like a tennis ball only larger!  I was thoroughly entertained.

Then, on the other side of the small lake, I heard a man whistling and shouting,

“Come on, come on…”

I caught a glimpse of this noise maker and recognised him to be the bird man.  An elderly, grey haired, long bearded man who brings seeds, peanuts and water for the geese, ducks, swans and of course the over friendly squirrels who inhabit the park.  He puts out two large bowls filled with water and seed for the two swans, and scatters the rest on the ground for the other fowl.  “Mum” and “Dad” get the preferential treatment.

This afternoon they swam towards him but did not clamber the bank, either not hungry or overhwelmed by the other birds and the fair weather crowds enjoying the November sun.

The man, pulling his laden trolley along persisited in his whistles and calls.  He was behind the bushes and out of sight, I could only imagine the willing takers of his “meals on wheels” which his cardboard sign proclaims and I continued to enjoy watching the majestic passage of the swans as they glided past, refusing their free meal.

Still wondering about the brain x-ray being done on Deidre’s little  head in the future, I left my spot by the water and made for home before the light completely failed.

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