December Morning

This morning I watched the house sparrows and blue tits feeding in the front garden. I'm so focused on watching them. This is more like a meditation. I start thinking about how busy I've been and remind myself to savour more quiet moments like this over the coming weeks. The little tree has now shed all of its leaves and stands naked and strong against the ice-blue December sky. At this time of year I like to adorn its tiny branches with five filled bird feeders of various kinds. No sooner are they in place, those tiny hungry creatures, with wings moving like hummingbirds, cling to the timber- metal casings and busily peck away. Nut crumbs are widely scattered onto the soil below and the garden is filled with the song of twenty tiny birds. This is a very special December morning.