Page 73 - A Hope Springs Christmas Tail

investigate. Well, lo and behold if I didn’t discover a peacock had flown into
our garden.

She shared with me that it was peacock

breeding season, and she was looking for a
husband and a home for her future peacock-

lets that are actually known as pea chicks.
She was hoping to be lucky enough to have a
whole ostentation or muster of them (which

she also told me was what a group of them
were called).

She asked whether we had any suitable

space where she might establish her nest in
readiness and I obligingly showed her our

shed that had the perfect
spot under the

workbench. She set to
work making her nest and

when she had finished, she
asked me if we might test

it out together. Being an
agreeable type of guy, I
said: Sure, why not! I took

up my position in the nest
and she settled herself on

top of me - much as she
would do with eggs or chicks in the nest. I must say it was very warm and cosy

and enveloping and blow me down if I didn't fall fast asleep! So did she - and
we were still positioned thus when my Dogmother came home from

work. When she couldn't find me in the house, she came looking outside and
discovered us both - sound asleep! She was quite tickled by the notion and

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