Collective Noun

I've had the company of a seal or two on almost every walk I've taken here in Fair Isle, but there is one place, just near the South Lighthouse, where I can count on seeing 6, 7, 8 seals, all hanging out together. I stand and watch them, and they mess about in the waves and watch me. 

Which raises the question - what is the collective noun for a bunch of seals? There are enough candidates to need a collective noun of their own: from different parts of the world we have a herd, a pod, a harem, a plump, a spring, a crash, a colony, a rookery... 

But my lot? They're clearly and utterly a bob. 

Green Verse from Saraband

 

I'm very pleased to have a poem in this anthology from Saraband - appropriately in the 'Long Live the Weeds!' section of the Autumn season! Edited by Rosie Storey Hilton, Green Verse is available here.

Sheep

 

Fair Isle Ambition

 

This week I'm back on Fair Isle and over on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure talking about ridiculous ambition.

As the Students Return ...

In honour of all the students starting out a new academic year, join the lads here - and keep on dancing!

Foggy

 

It's been foggy here in Edinburgh again, so here's a fog photo from Fair Isle last year and a fog poem by Carl Sandburg from The Poem Hunter.

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbour and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

Edinburgh Mapped

1768 James Craig plan of the New Streets and Squares

 intended for the city of Edinburgh

(wiki commons)

I'm loving living in Edinburgh and came across this fascinating video about how the city's geology has shaped its layout and distinctive style. Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea, forgive the narrator the occasional odd pronunciations, and just enjoy his enthusiasm for this city and its story!