For the first time in living memory, I identified the National Programme bird call on the radio this morning.
For the uninitiated, a different bird call is played just before the news bulletin on the hour every morning. It’s a national institution. They tried getting rid of it a few years ago, but there was such an outcry they had to back down. Conspiracy theorists wondered if the station was actually suggesting it as a cover for other unpopular changes, such as firing various presenters, but I’m not getting into that today.
Anyway, I’m a bird fan, even though I usually can’t recognize the noises they make, but this morning the loud and unattractive honking was clearly the work of the black swan. Identifying it correctly gave me a warm glow for several minutes – and now I’m bragging about it to you. It’s important to take advantage of the little pleasures in life when you can.
