Scavengers

[poliphilo]

 The food the cat won't eat I put out for the birds- by which I mean our voracious, street-fighting, all-but-tame gull. Yesterday Gully- as we call them- was sitting on the patio, legs tucked up under the body, for all the world as if they were on a beach, far away from people, watching the tide come in. 

And when the gull has finished eating the flies move in. There are two of them in the dish when I go to pick it up. "Ew!" I think and immediately afterwards, "But there are so few flies around these days that it's a joy to see them.