nursery rhymes

One for sorrow

The morning was cold and bright, a hard frost on top of a few inches of snow, the forecast was for more snow later so Lavinia started out early on her morning chores. As she opened the chickens run there was a Magpie on the top of the gate. The words of a childhood rhyme came unbidden into her head "One for sorrow" she said out loud as she surveyed the body of her favourite old hen 'Henny Penny' the veteran of many winters and out foxer of foxes, had finally succumbed to old age.

Two for joy

There seemed to be a lot of Magpies around she thought whilst loading balage onto the tractor. Maybe it was the cold or perhaps their smart black and white feathers were more visible against the pale frosty ground. The rhyme mumbled in her head as she fed the early lambing ewes, how could they not bring you joy? Some old shepherds don't like them round the flock at lambing saying that 'maggerty birds' kill lambs by pecking out the eyes, but she always lambed indoors and had never seen it.

Three for a girl

Lucy Lockets's triplets were doing well. This year, the first on her own, all the ewes were doing well, Funny that, she thought, money spent on sheep feed brings better returns than money spent in the bookies.

Four for a boy

There were four Magpies in the far paddock were the Rams had been exiled, they flew off down to the stable yard as she broke the ice on the water trough.

Five for silver.

Lavinia didn't count the birds on the roof of the stable as she turned her welsh cob 'Argentia' out into the house paddock. She refused to, it was making her nervous

Six for gold

Or the number on the now refurbished barn that would be a holiday let come summer.

Severn for a story, never to be told

She was not superstious but there was no way she would turn her head to look at the scrub ground near the tractor shed. Her blood ran cold, she just knew there were severn Magpies scratching around on the ground there.