Would never learn

Northern lights teaching shoaling fish teaching 
    swarming flies teaching clouding ink
        would never learn the -

Ghostly swirling surging whirling melting
    murmuration of starling flock.

After yesterday's wonderful display of thousands of Starlings, it would have been nice to have a photo of a lone Starling. Strangely, they rarely come into our garden, then I remembered this lovely picture in the book The Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris. 

I am aware that many people know about this book, in fact I know at least two Blippers who have copies, but for those who don't know, I will explain what this beautiful book is all about. 

It is a big book full of gorgeous paintings and poems (or spells), focusing on the words from the natural world it is assumed children don't know any more, so much so that they were left out of the most recent edition of the Oxford Children's Dictionary. This book is an attempt to bring them back. Starling is one of the words. 

It is a beautiful book, with great appeal to adults and children. I actually got two copies for Christmas - my family know me too well. It all worked out in the end, as on Christmas Day the grandchildren took a liking to the book, so I left them a copy. They knew most of the 'lost' words, so we must be doing something right between us. 

Thank you for all the attention paid to yesterday's blip. It was great to be able to share what is a magical experience.