Talking Point with Vicky Turrell: 'I have decided not to worry'
“Do you have to tell the truth?” I am in the dentist’s waiting room. Mr T is having a new crown fitted.
A person about my age is talking to me and tying to fill in the dentists’ form about her health. She was on the part that deals with alcohol consumption. “Should I lie? You see at my age I do look forward to the occasional drink.” The first answer is always easy, ‘How often have you had six or more units on a single occasion?’. Most people put ‘Never’. But then we get on to the nitty gritty of exactly how many units you drink in a week. The ‘safe’ limit is 14. But what is a unit?
There is a handy chart, a small glass of sherry, a half glass of larger and a half glass of wine are all one unit but then it depends on the size of the glass and the strength of the alcohol. It is all very complicated. In the end to be on the safe side she ticks ‘less than 14’.
I do not think that spring is on the safe side this year. It is going so fast the butterflies are coming out too soon. Yesterday I was sitting out on a warm day when a large butterfly went by. I jumped up to follow. Its slow flapping wings were angular like a leaf and the big giveaway was that its wings were butter yellow.
It was a male brimstone butterfly, hatched out in this early spring warmth. He was searching for something in our garden. He went near the pond, but that was no good, then near the flower border but he was not impressed even by our perennial wallflowers just peeping out, what was he looking for? I think he was looking for a female. They are smaller than him and white. But there were no females, so he flapped on his tireless way up and over our fence to next door and tried his luck there.
The birds go next door too. It is a lovely place where there are so many treats for them on the bird table. It is hard not to get jealous as they sit on our holly tree then closing their eyes to our treats they dart straight for next door. I kid myself that ours are more select, we have had the grey wagtail, siskins and bramblings, but the fact is their garden has more wildlife than ours despite all our efforts.
To tell the truth I have decided not to worry and simply sit outside with a glass of wine enjoying the rascal rooks which have their rookery near here.
