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Sunday, 7 June 2026

Sunday 7th June - Psalm 23

 I'm thinking of the verse

'Peverse and foolish oft I strayed,

But yet in love he sought me,

And on his shoulder gently laid

And home rejoicing brought me.'

Today it came to mind when we saw this bizarre little scene through the window. 

It's not very clear, but you should be able to make out the geese which nested by the pond. For some reason they have arrived in our road along with three goslings, and a neighbour is trying to persuade them to walk to the corner (about three houses along on the right) and then up to the pond. That road has about 14 semi-detached bungalows. Then there's quite a busy road to cross.. It's going to be a tricky bit of shepherding.

Next-door's cat it watching with great interest, but is keeping a safe distance away.

...

I vividly remember my class being made to sing that verse on our own in school hymn practice as a punishment for being too chatty. We were so embarrassed. We were a perverse lot, and often strayed from the rules.





14 comments:

  1. I hope that little goose family made it to the pond. How caring of your neighbour to shepherd them along. That kitty definitely has them in her sights.

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    1. Fortunately that little kitty is a complete fraidy-cat and wouldn't say boo to a goose!

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  2. I love the Chet Valley hymn-videos!!

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  3. I hope they avoided the roads and got back to the pond - I wonder why they had decided to roam the neighbourhood

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    1. My husband says they parade their goslings around every year, but I don't remember seeing them round here before. I'm sure if it was at all possible that neighbour will have got them back safely, roads or no roads!

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  4. I do hope the babies mad it safely. What a nice neighbour!

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    1. He's quite a determined character... but yes, heart of gold

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  5. The cat definitely has the right idea!

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    1. Yup... I would have kept my distance too

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  6. Happy geese and goslings. My class and I once herded a duck and her ducklings across the playground, round hazardous grills over drains. She had laid and hatched her eggs in the nursery garden.

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    1. That must have been quite an adventure for the children ... worthy of a Roger McGough or Alan Ahlbeg poem

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  7. I'm sure the cat knows how pernickety geese can be if you overstep the mark!

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    1. I'm not sure if he's encountered geese before; he's led a sheltered life. Before they moved here they had lived in a flat; the garden was a whole new experience, and he had no idea that there were other cats in existence until he met ours... he was dumbfounded...

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