Even though it enters into midst of a thousand...

We solved a neighbourhood mystery today. As we were walking back from the park, I saw these pigeons circulating around the area of the back gardens in our street. I've seen them on a few occasions, flying in a mini flock.

As I was just setting up my camera and explaining to the kids what they were, a man came up behind us walking his dogs. He confirmed that they are racing pigeons. It turns out they were his pigeons and he has a loft in his garden near our street.

Whenever I see them, they remind me of one of my favourite films, Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai. as the main character keeps pigeons and flys them round his rooftop. The main thread of the film is based on a book called Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai and is a series of short excerpts and anecdotes about life as a samurai retainer. Some eternally relevant, some not so.

[c]
"When somone is giving you his opinion, you should receive it with deep
gratitude even though it is worthless. If you don't , he will not tell you the
things he has seen and heard about you again. It is best to both give and
receive opinions in a friendly way."
[/c]