My Life on a Plate

Round the Bend

Recently I've become very aware of how many times a day I bend down. I have a few twinges in the back at times, but nothing serious and I don't suffer from vertigo, so I don't know why I've suddenly taken a dislike to bending down. Maybe just idleness or old age beckoning, but some days it seems the minute I get out of bed I seem to be constantly bending for one reason or another. So yesterday I made a conscious decision not to bend down unless absolutely necessary and to try and remember to bend from the knees, not the waist.

Well, I was doing okay until I left the house to go and meet my mother. I was in a bit of a hurry but halfway down the path something on the ground caught my eye. I've always tended to walk with eyes cast down. As a child I was constantly bumping into lamposts as a result. My mother used to nag me about it all the time until the day I tried walking with my head up and trod in a pile of dog poop. Anyway I digress.

Were my eyes deceiving me? Was it really what I thought it was lying on the path to my door? I forgot my resolution and bent down to look. I tell you no lies. The photo below shows what I discovered.

You can see how small it is in contrast to my son's hand. Well, I was in a bit of a rush, so I grabbed the little duck and put it in my pocket. But I started wondering if my reputation for taking in refugee ducks was spreading. Had it found its own way there or had some duck parents abandoned their unwanted duckling on my doorstep? The mystery puzzled me all day.

Later when I had a little more time, little duck and I had a chat and decided the name 'Diddy' was most suitable. Diddy informed me he's part of a farm set belonging to my twin stepgrandsons. Apparently, when they visited on Friday one of the twins dropped the whole box on the path on the way to the car. It seems when they retrieved all their farm buildings and animals poor Diddy was overlooked.

So mystery solved, but it still amused me to think of all the animals they could have left behind, it just had to be a duck didn't it? Made me smile on an otherwise very frustrating day.

The problem is, Diddy and I have grown rather attached now and are loathe to be parted. Do you think the two tough guys below would notice if I didn't return him or could be persuaded to allow me to keep him? Great toolbench too, don't you think Nada?

One theory about the avoiding bending might be that I'm already going round the bend. Oh well, I always wanted to travel.