You only sing when you're flying

When I started writing this blog it was with the vague idea of commenting on whatever was going on in North Devon that made the pages of my local paper, the North Devon Journal, eg the Facebook campaign to abolish Ilfracombe's Victorian Week or whether Bideford Town Council should say prayers before each meeting. Maybe I was thinking I would become North Devon's Montaigne, but anyway as Robert Burns said "the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley" - apologies for any mistakes in the quote. So today while I was on the beach with my dog my attention was taken by a skylark, which has nothing to do with bickerings in local government.

I heard the skylark before I saw it. In fact, seeing a skylark can be a tricky business because while it is belting out its song it will be so high up in the sky it will be just a tiny dot. Once I spotted my skylark I stayed watching it. This is something I like to do almost as a form of tribute to the skylark. They exert massive effort in staying in one spot in the sky and singing their hearts out and I feel the least I can do is watch the entire performance until the bird flutters back to earth. I suspect my dog thinks this is a slightly weird thing to do. One minute I am striding along Westward Ho! beach throwing a ball for her, the next I am standing with my head tipped back at an awkward angle, keeping an eye on something she has so far shown no interest in. I am sure skylarks have a reason for doing what they do, it's probably all about sex, but I'd like to think they also do it for the pure joy of it.

Talking of doing things because you enjoy them, while I was out cycling yesterday I saw numerous joggers, none of whom looked particularly joyful. In fact, one, a senior council official, looked utterly knackered. I know I have complained about pains in the rear end while I have been cycling, but jogging is torture, pure and simple. Tried it once, couldn't walk properly for a fortnight. Didn't take much to persuade me I should avoid it, thank goodness skylarks aren't so easily dissuaded from making an effort.