A feather of each sort I'll wear ...

We’ve had a lovely day, entertaining two of our oldest church friends for lunch. Unlike us, they are frequently travelling around the country visiting their grandchildren, so it’s good to get together with them every so often to catch up on all their news. 

I was busy all morning preparing the lunch (starting with making a raspberry torte and raspberry sauce, then various salads) but managed to break away from the cooking to grab a shot of our resident jay, who was out on our parched lawn searching for I don’t know what. 

Their varied plumage always fascinates me, as it clearly did John Clare, when he wrote his poem Birds’ Lament. This is just one verse from the poem:


Oh, says the pretty-feathered jay, 
Now my love is fled away 
For the memory of my dear 
A feather of each sort I'll wear.