When I look out of my window, the visual display that
meets me could easily have been a subject for an Edgar Hunt oil painting.
Various breeds of chickens, some Emden geese and even white and blue peafowl
colour the green field as they mill about eating the scattered seeds that make
up their breakfast. Added to this animated canvas of farmyard beauty are the
ducks. Like the chickens, there is more than one breed on show. They include
the brown Khaki Campbell and the white Aylesbury. They also include the Indian
Runners. These ducks are distinctly different to the rest. Despite a single
member who is almost completely black, they are white, like the Aylesbury. However,
unlike the other breeds of duck, this bird stands very erect and often with its
beak in the air. Like a diminutive goose they march forward with purpose – and
nothing stands in their way. For, although many would look upon this scene as the
perfect backdrop to countryside tranquillity, I see chaos and carnage.
