two pennies to rub together

we never had any, when I was growing up

don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, there was a roof over our head, food on the table and clothes on our back

one thing we did have was a large garden, full of birds - sparrows, finches of various kinds, robins, crows, blackbirds, thrushes, jackdaws and magpies, blue tits and great tits and coal tits, a spotted woodpecker and a green woodpecker; those are the ones I can remember. . . nature doesn't charge you for listening to the birds, as they say "the best things in life are free" (doesn't get much better than birdsong) - I used to love listening to the birds. . .
.

so, imagine my surprise when I sit in the tiny courtyard garden here, on the tiny step from the French doors of the living room, and hear - from another matchbox sized garden in the London suburbs - birdsong that I have never heard before!
.

I could just about see the bird in question at one stage, when it perched on the tv aerial on the roof of the house that backs onto mine, but it was too far away for me to be able to distinguish what it was - a small bird, I could make that much out, a tail that was neither long nor short, average small bird shaped body

I digress

I received two birthday presents this year - both in boxes: a box of asparagus from an old friend (enough to feed an army, which is a shame as I have no army that needs feeding and the members of this household, apart from my good self, don't eat asparagus) and from the People of Various Sizes the boxed set of dvds of all eleven series of Frasier
.

dear reader, I am on disc three and have just seen an episode that I've never seen before! the one in which Eddie has puppies. . .

I've never wanted a dog; three children, various fish (which I'm now feeding a little more often, so they don't have to resort to eating each other) and two cats (the remaining two of the twenty or so that have belonged to the family over the years) proving almost more than I can manage in my current circumstances. . .

. . .but Eddie's puppies were very sweet

I hope your day
brings you food for thought

and that you have a spare penny or two
with which to treat yourself
to something you need or want