After I dropped Hugo and his family at the railway station to begin their journey to Chicago, I drove all the way home to the farm again in an empty car. When I got home I stood in the drive and the silence was almost crushing. I went inside to see if the silence was the same in there and it was. There was no-one but me in there. So I did what any self respecting farmer would do and went back outside to hang out with the birds in the vegetable garden.
They are all pretty quiet as well. There is much made of the screeching of peacocks and guineas but none of the big birds here make much noise except in the spring and early summer. Unless Mrs Flowers loses sight of Violet or vice versa.
Mr Flowers is growing his tail feathers back in.
I am always glad to see the feathers growing back. Do you remember the Duke of Kupa. When he got sick with the pneumonia his tail feathers stopped growing. So I am heartened by the growth in this big bird.
The Plonkers field is right next to the vegetable garden where the birds were hanging out so as I clear the raised beds I heave the vegetation straight over the fence. They are more than happy to help with the cleaning up.
Are you pregnant Aunty?
Not telling, she says through a mouthful of stolen hay.
I am not going to bother blood testing her. Whether she is bred or not changes nothing at this point. I will not be rebreeding this late in the summer. I saw no signs of heat this weekend though there was some shuffling about from Naomi which was surprising but we will wait another three weeks and watch again.
Later, after I had fed everyone and milked the cow I had a quiet dinner of a crunchy local red apple and French cheese made from the milk of French cows who had been grazing on Alpine Flowers, the cheese had traveled all the way to America in the suitcase of Hugo’s mother, with a glass of delicious Amisfield Pinot Noir that had traveled all the way from New Zealand. The apples came from round the corner. The international nature of my dinner reflected the international nature of the summer.
When it comes time for Hugo to actually go back all the way to France the quiet is going to take some getting used to. I am good with quiet. I don’t mind being alone at all so this sense of loss is interesting. However I have friends driving down from the city for lunch today so that will dispel this lonely feeling.
And of course all this slowing down means that I can get busy on the calendar, and the childrens picture book and Letters to my Baby Girl – our fellowship book that has been waiting patiently in the wings to be collated.
I look forward to getting to these projects.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
62 responses to “The quiet feathers”
Do not worry Miss C, your Farmy is always busy with someone coming and going…but will Hugo be back?
Hugo is back on friday until the 17th.. c
Big hugs from here too. That terrible bereft feeling. Thank goodness for your lovely fields, your lovely gardens, your loveliest of all–creatures! Good help!
Have you got rain up there today, we are WINTRY! c
You just need to crank up that rap music, Celi! Mr. Flowers tail feathers is a wonderful sight. So interesting to see them at this stage of growth. How nice to have The Plonkers to help clean up–and enjoy their work. Aunty Del is a fine-looking cow.
Aunty is good looking isn’t she.. c
If you need another letter for the book, please do let me know.
I Need Another Letter! email me – celima.g.7@gmail.com
I’ll do that this afternoon, then. And a recipe for vegetarian dumplings.
Sometimes the sounds of silence get to me also. But, like you, I head outside and then I have company.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Exactly! so right linda.. c
Even if we enjoy quiet lives, there is a very particular type of quiet that descends after a visitor leaves, isn’t there? And, writing from recent experience, that quiet can leave one feeling quite wistful…
Wistful – that is the perfect word… c
I think it’s natural, and we need the contrast, the noticing how the two different situations affect us, gives a chance for reflection and knowing ourselves. And the opportunity to find out how we can best honour our feelings and find positive ways to move on. Already now you’re back in the social swirl, quiet forgotten…..
yes – lovely – and the quiet lives within us.. c
I hadn’t thought about the silence but you are right, when the Hungarians left the house seemed empty and I wondered if I’d even feel like making dinner since there were only the two of us to enjoy it. It was only 2 weeks, Hugo’s been there a lot longer but you do have the animals who are very entertaining with their various personalities. I’m enjoying watching the birds at the bird feeder outside my kitchen window, the are manic gorging on the seeds, I have seen this much action in a very long time — they go through the feed almost every day! Hungry little birdies.
Little birdies – getting ready for winter?
Have I missed something here, or have I just got mixed up? I thought Lady Astor’s calf was Naomi – is Mrs Flower’s little peachick called Naomi as well?
Oh no! Thank you Miss Kitty – that was an error on my part – that is Violet – I will go back and correct it – thank you.. c
My mom and I were just discussing this evening how we do not mind being alone. I love the quiet. Will you be doing Sheila t-shirts again this year? I get comments and compliments all of the time on the one I purchased last year. Sheila has gotten a lot of attention in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas this year!
Oh yes – we need to do those too, that was an easy one – I will start the search for a picture and we need to have a think about what to write!
I loathe it when people leave .. The emptiness is sometimes overwhelming. Then there is nothing like a Pinot Noir from NZ ..