Twa corbies

A cheerless day weather-wise;  one son flew the nest again.

I only went out briefly in the late afternoon and nothing inspired me but when I looked at this image, the only picture I took, I found it curiously arresting. The two crows foraging in the foreground are standard at this time of year but the camera zoom has brought into (almost) focus the Fishguard Bay Hotel which must be at least 3 miles away as these birds fly.  In between lie hidden the inlet of the old harbour and settlement,  the bulk of the upper town and the sweep  down towards Goodwick with its moor, its beach and its railway.
The hotel was built in the late 19th century with extravagantly landscaped grounds, now overgrown and jungley. It has seen better days, indeed during the filming of Moby Dick in 1956 the cast and crew made the hotel their base.

There is a famous Scottish ballad Twa Corbies, which hinges upon two crows (or ravens) discussing the recycling potential of a dead knight whose corpse lies nearby. It will provide meat for them and their brood, with his bones to perch on and his hair to line their nest. The man's death will ensure their survival. The poem, and its English rendering, can be found here with a nice discussion contrasting it with an alternative version called The Three Ravens in which the dead man's wife carries home his body and the birds lose out. Practical or romantic - the choice is yours.

I miss the old poetry group!