Thursday, March 26, 2009


A Rare Sighting

When I raised the blind, I could hardly believe my eyes. Surely, the specimen before me must be one of the common kind, widely regarded as a pest.

The resemblance to the everyday variety, though, was superficial. Standing out against the grey trees and pavements, identifiable because of its size and colour, it was a fine example of a threatened species.

It wsn't the predominant white plumage that distinguished it, so much as the side marking and the well-define Crest. Well - 'Dairy Crest' to quote the logo in full.

For what I'd spotted was a beatifully marked milk float! I'd assumed they were extinct - this far into London, anyway. I wondered if the offspring wore green, red or gold caps, like the old days.

Sadly, when I googled, and put my post code in the website search box, the computer said no; my district wasn't covered.

I might have guessed - it was a vagrant, drifted off course. Never mind. I've left my email address for future contact, in case they ever do recover and breed in sufficient numbers to re-establish hereabouts.

2 comments:

Katy said...

Wonderful! :-)

I do hate to boast, but I do have a milkman to deliver my milk. There are few things finer to wake up to in my mind than my lovely big hairy dog and a pint of cold milk in a glass bottle on the doorstep.

I work on the principle that I can face anything the day has to throw at me as long as I've got milk for my tea :-)

Sheila Cornelius said...

Oh, Katy,you are so lucky! My hairy husband thinks milk is bad for one so we have horrid powder. It makes guests ask 'Is there milk? when offered coffee. I buy milk in a plastic bottle when I remember. It's just not the same, though.