Hands off Cocky!
There ain’t nobody here but us chickens There ain’t nobody here at all So quiet yourself and stop that fuss There ain’t nobody here but us …
COCKY the rooster, who lives with his hens in the dune bush at Snake Park beach, has become an international hit since a newspaper piece in which beachfront residents – some of them – complained of his very early morning crowing.
He’s now on Facebook. The first post was from Cocky himself, reacting to what he said he read on a page of the Independent on Saturday, which he found blowing about.
People around the world have reacted in support, as have local people. Hands off Cocky!
The chickens are leading a charmed life. They got to their present location in the dunes by escaping from becoming sacrificial offerings in religious rituals on the beach. They’ve taken to the coastal bush –by no means the usual
mercidler@inl.co.za
environment for chickens – and so far they seem to be thriving.
But what are they eating? There’s no grain in the bush. Presumably there are some insects.
But presumably there are also some things such as mongooses that like nothing better than eating chickens.
At least one car guard is feeding them scraps – it seems out of the goodness of his heart, not with an eye to the Christmas roast – but it is surely precarious.
We watch with interest to see how the Facebook campaign goes. An international swell of support for Cocky and his gals could see the development of an unexpected tourist attraction. And in which case it would make sense to see that Cocky and the hens are properly fed and securely housed at night.
Hands off Cocky!
Tomorrow is a busy day We got things to do, we got eggs to lay We got ground to dig and worms to scratch It takes a lot of settin’, gettin’ chicks to hatch …
Great headlines
IT’S fashionable these days to predict the end for newspapers – that a new generation is more attuned to tablets and other electronic gizmos than to the printed word on a sheet of paper.
There is some truth in this, of course – but only some. You can’t put your tablet or smartphone in the bottom of the budgie cage. You can’t wrap fish and chips in a Whatsapp.
And newspapers select and present news that is relevant to their known and researched readership in a way that the internet simply cannot.
Plus newspapers have such glorious and unbeatable headlines. An item doing the rounds on the internet urges the continued existence of newspapers and presents a selection of headlines, gathered from all over, to back its case.
Diana was still alive hours before she died.
Lady Jacks off to hot start in conference.
Tiger Woods plays with own balls, Nike says.
Statistics show that teen pregnancy drops off after age 25.
Bugs flying around with wings are flying bugs.
Republicans turned off by size of Obama’s package.
Marijuana issue sent to a joint committee.
Homicide victims rarely talk to police.
17 remain dead in morgue shooting spree.
Worker suffers leg pain after crane drops 800-pound ball on his head.
City unsure why the sewer smells.
Study shows frequent sex enhances pregnancy chances.
Meeting on open meetings is closed.
Man accused of killing lawyer receives a new attorney.
Barbershop singers bring joy to school for deaf.
Hospitals resort to hiring doctors.
Man with 8 DUIs blames drinking problem.
Parents keep kids home to protest school closure.
Starvation can lead to health hazards.
The bra celebrates a pair of historic milestones this year.
Total lunar eclipse will be broadcast live on Northwoods Public Radio.
Miracle cure kills fifth patient. Yeah, you just won’t get that on your digital whatsit. One of my favourites was a double-page spread, in capitals, in the erstwhile News of the World: “NUDIST CAMP MANAGER FINDS MODEL WIFE NAKED IN BED WITH CHINESE HYPNOTIST FROM CO-OP BACON FACTORY”.
Read on for details …
Tailpiece
TWO musicians are walking down the street.
“Who was that piccolo I saw you with last night?”
“That was no piccolo, that was my fife.”
Last word
IF AT first you don’t succeed, failure may be your style. – Quentin Crisp