Thistledown

This might have been a place for sleep,
But, as from that small hollow there
Hosts of bright thistledown begin
Their dazzling journey through the air,
An idle man can only stare.

They grip their withered edge of stalk
In brief excitement for the wind;
They hold a breathless final talk,
And when their filmy cables part
One almost hears a little cry.

Some cling together while they wait,
And droop and gaze and hesitate,
But others leap along the sky,
Or circle round and calmly choose
The gust they know they ought to use;

While some in loving pairs will glide,
Or watch the others as they pass,
Or rest on flowers in the grass,
Or circle through the shining day
Like silvery butterflies at play.

Some catch themselves to every mound,
Then lingeringly and slowly move
As if they knew the precious ground
Were opening for their fertile love:
They almost try to dig, they need
So much to plant their thistle-seed.

Harold Monro
The thistles  are exploding but I shall leave them for a few more days for the goldfinches to enjoy.
We've been hard at it all day. Himself has finished the carpentry and has now painted everything and replaced the fabric as necessary - see new dresser and general view. The cupboards have been cleaned out and things pre 2015 chucked!  Now I suspect the apprentice will have to paint the walls and the fecking ceiling.
I had an early morning swim - surprisingly cool - have helped out as necessary and cut swathes through the jungle. 
We treated ourselves to a takeaway from the food truck in Durrus that Veronica and Steve sampled last week. Good fresh food but a bit more veggie stuff could be added.
Now we're watching the Essex Serpent - rather well done and a real nostalgia trip for me as it's all shot where I grew up - murky Essex salt marshes full of thick black mud and teeny crabs.