Feeding time!

Watch a Magpie Robin on its feeding exploration!

One of the three young magpie Robins was on its feeding exploration. I saw it on the grass and then on the ledge of the wall picking up food, It seemed settled on the ledge of the wall but what  followed was regurgitation of the food.

They too have their feeding problems.  It stayed on the same spot till it recovered and returned to the grass to find its feed.

A Magpie Robin is an overcomer!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Before a meal

I was fascinated by the sight of a bird ritual-pausing before a meal! It was a long pause before this bird pecked on the ripe papaya. 

Most of us pause before taking the first mouth of food served, to have a moment of silence in gratefulness. 

Both Daphny and Dulcie  would lie prostrate for a moment before they reach out to the feeding bowl. 

Food is more than a physical nutrient for our body. Food is cooked by someone. The ingredients of the food came from different sources prepared by others. Someone has served the food. There is a coming together of people and experiences at a meal time.

Every meal time is a celebration time. It therefore transcends the dimension of taste, calories, and appearance.

Food is a time to remember the gift of givenness. 

Every time a baby cries with hunger a baby is provided for! We grew up receiving all the time. 

Every meal time is therefore a reminder of all the occasions when we have received because of others. This gives us a new orientation to receive food as a symbol of the abundance of all that we are given.

Yesterday, I was served tea by a colleague, unasked for, at a time when I was thirsty.  It is that which awakened me to meditate on the theme of givenness.

What is that we have except what is given !

We can live our lives only in an orientation of gratefulness. 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

Accessing honey!

I decide to watch how this honey sucker finds honey from the long slender flower. It took a while for me to watch the process from a  distance. Its method was by tearing off part of the filamentous part of the flower to suck the out the honey. That is why some flowers have a filamentous portion hanging from the flower.  

Birds too are ingenious! A small bird, but has enormous practical know how!

M.C.Mathew 

Morning stretching exercises !

This might be a purple rumped female Sunbird, because its pair too was seen together in the same cluster of dry branches on the top of a tree. 

I watched this bird in its morning ritual of stretching and grooming. I thought that this bird was doing most of the cat stretching exercises suggested in the Feldenkrais regimen of movement through awareness exercises.

The bird paid attention to its neck, spine and wings. It was a breath taking sight for me this morning!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)