Surfing Dolphins, Catlins, New Zealand, originally uploaded by *amy&kimball.

this is a most remarkable photo

Be careful what you wish for.

He leapt over the counter and crashed in a heap among the dirty glasses. He was carted to hospital bleeding and bruised, the publican left shaking his head in confusion as he cleaned up the mess.

Sheena said “What on earth made you show off like that?” He couldn’t clearly answer and winced as he tried to form the words ‘I looked and I leapt”.

Jonah came in and looked ruefully at the patient “We can’t take you anywhere can we?”

They took him home and he had a day off work. Still, weakly, he tried to leap. It was just over the bathmat, but his obsession wouldn’t let him rest.

Off he went to work, leaping pavement squares and eyeing traffic bollards down the street. ‘Tomorrow’, he thought. Sometimes his imagination soared so he could see himself leaping an entire street. Just now however, having experienced a touch of reality, his thoughts became more pedestrian, more cautious.

By Monday of the following week he was back at full leaping strength and once again practising over the hurdles down at the sports ground. He knew no-one would believe that he could eventually fly, so he just persevered night after night. His friends shrugged at each other but still took him along on their outings, sometimes holding him down when they saw the leaping light gleaming in his eye.

Years went by and Pinky became more solitary. He would take off to the hills and leap ever more recklessly, suffering many more cuts and bruises, but coming home satisfied that he was leaping further day by day. It was a milestone the night he leapt over the moon. Unfortunately he collided with a cow coming over the other side. They crashed together. “ Aagh’’ said the cow “What are you doing in my space ? This is where I always jump”. “Sorry “ said Pinky. “ It was my first go. Can I leap with you tomorrow?”.

At last he had found a leaping companion, and his leaping became soaring. Together he and the cow jumped over the moon until Pinky found he had outgrown the cow and could cruise at altitude without so much as flapping his wings. …….Wings! When did they appear? They were just there, having grown un-noticed, fed by the sheer force of Pinky’s will. His feet had changed too, only two toes showed, and those of equal size. He had an embarrassing curly wormy pink appendage on his buttocks too. Of course he kept it hidden. But he couldn’t hide his strange flat nose with nostrils sticking straight out. His voice became somewhat grunty too.

Slowly it dawned that his leaping obsession had transformed him – drastically. The power of the focused mind was a shocking thing. He had wished and wished, and worked so hard that he had ‘got there’ and oh – the pleasure of gliding across the heavens, but – did he really want to be a flying pig?

This is not the end. Please add your ending.

Waipapa Point, Catlin Coast, originally uploaded by Nepturamus.

good landscape pic of Waipapa and the trees.

DSCF0021, originally uploaded by seafarmer.

June 2008

Albatross at our back door! , originally uploaded by seafarmer.

Carolyn’s fine work – a gift at Christmas 2006 ‘May the wind always flow beneath your wings’ and ‘ May the sun always shine upon your back’

LIFE AND DEATH ON THE FARM

Full of anticipation, the farmer chooses a black-handled knife from the kitchen and strides out of the back door.

His chosen victim sits quietly in the sun. It is in the bloom of youth,  cells vibrating with life, body growing apace.

The shadow falls, the silver blade flashes and in an instant it is all over. An unheard scream echoes into eternity. Precious life fluids ooze uselessly into the bright sunshine.

‘Aah’, says the farmer, ‘you beauty’.

He lifts the body tenderly and bears it into the house.

He rinses it under the tap then places it on a wooden board.

He turns to his wife ‘Is there any more of that tasty home-made dressing to go with this nice crispy lettuce?’

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Where were you when the soup hit the boil?

Can’t miss Helen Clark on telly,

It’s election time again.

Reheat the soup upon the cooker

–ads coming up, we’ll eat it then.

Such beautiful pumpkin soup

took hours to cook and puree

Thick and ploppy, bright-orange, lip-smacking…

Ignore at your peril when it’s on the way.

Didn’t even hear the bubbles

But my oh my when I saw the troubles

Pumpkin soup up to the ceiling

Splashed on walls kettle bench utensils breadbox radio heater floor

What a feeling.

Spent the next day cleaning.