17th May - After Review - Cleaning out

"Indeed, Women are the kind that may bring you some joy and yet the more sorrow. Be it that they are fickle, be it that they are well aware of their charms and their uses, or that they wish to settle themselves comfortably and thus seek a man who could provide, not for the love of him, but for..." His voice trailed of and he did nought but smile.

"I thought that doctors might have figured the mind of a woman at last. Are there any.... hm, scientific studies of the fairer ones?" He chuckled faintly, for his question had strayed a good deal from their conversation and he wished not to seem as if he were complaining.

Rob shook his head dolefully, "Sadly, t'only scientific studies are how ter make do with what ye have, not ter help ye deal with t'charms, or otherwise, of stray women who wish ter...use ye."

"Of course," he added, "having less than obvious amounts of money helps, I think. Many women seem ter be chasing a man more fer their wealth, as ye say. Why else are there so many marriages atween old men and young lassies?"

"Indeed. Though for a man who marries for love to realise a woman has married for his penny might not be the most trilling of news. There, I suppose, are men who wish to believe that it was their charm that had won a lady over, though some may as eagerly 'pay' for a lass's attention. No?"

He thought on what Sinclair had said. Indeed, it was a trouble for those of more money, and some would feel the war itself was easier to bear, with it's clarity, than the battles fought in the gardens.

"Och, I shoulda think many men would accept that a woman has married him solely fer himself- at t'least surely he has friends ter tell him otherwise!"
Rob could well remember telling his own friends how he saw the marriage panning out, and them nodding as others joined in. Of course, it was normally befor ethe marriage had occured, but still the thought was there, and he could pull out before hand, if he'd wanted to...

"ANd t'ladies, I've nay doubt tis what they talk about, too, of an evening, when they are all giggling their way through their sewing, or what have ye."

"Oh? " He looked curiously at Sinclair. "That might be. ..I've not quite the experience with ladies, but for..." He paused and continued with a different sentence altogether. "It is quite interesting to see some lasses accompany the army. They are brave to come to such hardships, though many might earn a good living , doing so." Some who sewed or sold artifacts that the men would need or be eager to buy, some came for the love of a traveling soldier, some even to earn their keep in such manner, though he hadn't indulged, it wasn't as if he'd not seen even the later be mentioned.

"I'm not saying they havena hardship, expecially t'ones which travel following ye lot, but...They form groups, do they not? SImilar ter yer own, I'd imagine, though mayhap without a man in a funnny hat telling them ter do so."

AS far as he'd ever seen, most women did, anyway, and it was normally within a group that a man would find his companion. Although there were always some who were less fixed in their choice of friends. "SOme of them are brave, nay doubt, but some...mebbe they have little choice."

"It could be. Well, it is always a choice to remain in a town, at home or to come. " He wondered if some had come because otherwise they might've starved or feared that the enemy might've got to them. The woman's life was hard at war and it wasn't only due to the loss of her children or brothers.

"Aye, the women do form groups and they follow the part of the army where they might fancy either a man, or possibly a quick profit?" He wasn't well versed in the ways women earned their keep, he'd not thought it important to study such things.

"Most likely, I think, yes." Rob was hardly about to set himself up as an expert on women, finding them somewhat daunting himself. They weren't known for explaining things to mere males, anyway, even ones who could occasionally be of service to them.

"THough I doubt any amount of talking will let us ken how t'women really feel." he commented drily, "As no man has yet found t'answer, and I somehow think they never will."

"And were we to ask women, then they would hold silence or hurry to explain and then we would be even more in the dark, as we are now." Willoughby added with a light , amused tone. "Aye, let us speak only of female chicks, if we must speak of women, for they might earn the names that you shall give them. I should hope that a male chick does not gain a female name, for he would be the butt of jokes for many a bird." He grinned at Sinclair, and continued with his task.

He wouldn't slack, and had no intention to slow his work even if he would feel tired. Not untill his job was finished. Rest could be done then.

"So, have you found yet a bird to your liking?" he asked, and spotted a sparrow fly by and land on a beam, another had perched itself by a window and ther had looked down curiously at the two men, as if wondering about the reason of their presence.

Rob grinned back, distracted again by the returning parents. It would be so easy to imagine them saying the same things as human parents had always said- 'eating us out of house and home' 'no manners'- that he almost didn't answer the next question.

"Well, As far as I can tell, all these chicks have parents ter look after them...and I willna be taking such a small bird if I need not look after it."
SLowly he sat up, rubbing the back of his head dizzily, "Mebbe I would be better off looking somewhere else instead, though the fact there are these two species living next ter each other..."

"You wish to see these then? Perhaps wait and see if there is a chick whose parents have become a cat's dinner. I've certainly seen plenty of those beasts about." He spoke just one such feline had passed, undisturbed and unbothered by the two men, seeking out another more peaceful a perch to enjoy both the sun and the quiet.

"Though trees might then be more easily accessible.. although, as such, it would perhaps be parents loosing chicks and not the other way around?"

"It wouldna be t'first time an adventurous chick had excaped." Rob agreed, watching the feline slink past.
"ALthough there are many more distractions in a set of trees than there will be in t'grasses over there, and there'll be distraction enough there fer me."

It was a bad habit of his, he knew, to get distracted by soemthing other than what he was supposed to be doing, though one he had been ifghting and, he thought, winning over for a while now. "Of course, I may end up with a duck ter raise, then. Though I could always do with egg money."

"A duck to raise? Be best you find yourself a chicken." Though duck would do well as a dish. He grinned and imagined a whole flock of them lumbering behind Sinclair, as if he were their mother. It would be a sight to see, that was certain.

"Might think of raising a family of them birds, sir." He wondered if they would have to look for Sinclair once the marching orders were issued.

"Are ye laughing at me, laddie?" not that it was an offence, as Rob was also laughing at the picture so suggested. "Duck eggs are better when it comes ter cooking, did ye know?"He considered climbing off the roof then and there, but it was such a nice day that he instead elected to remain in this lazy position, loosening his shirt he lay back down, squinting below him and wriggling to get comfortable.

"Nay sir, not at all." But indeed he was laughing, though with the surgeon rather than at him. "I've not known duck eggs to be better, might you explain as to why it would be so?" He asked and turned to the cart, for it was now by all means filled enough that it would need be relieved of it's burden. He'd pressed some weight against it's wooden handles, had to tip it just slightly forward before he was able to have it move. His muscles were tense and stressed as he began to move the said thing.

"They're bigger, ter start with, and I understand they hold more white in them than a normal hens egg. It makes fer better, lighter sponges and such."

He grinned, willing to continue talking while below willoughby toiled away, "Me Bridget, she'd enter t'competitions, when she was old enough, of the lightest sponge, and she swore by our mothers recipe of duck egg. Being only allowed one egg made it important ter be t'right one."

SHe had been vehement up to the point of kicking him out the door to find her another egg so she could make a second one, as he'd opened the door while the first sponge was cooking. "She won, too."

"Ah." He wasn't sure whether to ask more on the topic, and decided only to nod and drag the cart further. "What of the geese then? They seem like birds of greater size, perhaps also with their eggs?.. And the swans?"

Rob grimaced, "I wasna so fond of trying ter find her swans nor geese. Twas cold, and wet, and muddy...and a full day ter try and find her an egg."

He relented as he added, "THough if I was near some larger birds, then I'd search fer eggs, ter keep her happy. T'one I did find, twas t'lightest, biggest sponge ye ever saw."

it wasn't that he was averse to gesses- though they weren't known for their gentle ways- rather that the time had always seemed to be better spent cutting other things up, or mixing potions or looking after various rascally brothers of his.

"Ah. You've let her use you quite well." He said so, amused and had to speak louder for the distance between the two was now greater. He had begun shoveling the cart empty, satisfied that his work did atleast look to be having some progress.

"Is there a story.. in your 'bird chasing career', that you might have found most amusing ..and experience as such. Sir, that is if I may ask." He smiled and heaved more of the filth onto the pile. Which was indeed growing nicely, while the stalls were even more nicely.. becoming cleaner.

His bird chasing career. Well. He knew what the lad meant though, and was happy to think of a few amusing stories.
"Hamish and I found a very angry gander, one day. We'd been kicked out ter try and find t'eggs I was telling ye about. THat was when our Ma was there ter do t'kicking too, and she was..emphatic. We must have been...seven and six, I'd say."

Of course, they'd had to check with various people on their way, incase they happened to loose it, but it was a saturday and they were underfoot, it being hot enough that various other boys had retreated to some trees Hamish wasn't allowed in, on account of breaking his arm there.

"So we were sent off with some food and instructions ter find as big eggs as we could, and come back with them, and preferably us too, in one peice."

Willoughby nodded, with interest and attention of a bairn that was told a good story by his elders. He had been shoveling still, but he did it as to make the least sound, that would have him miss any a word coming from Sinclair. He'd even inclined his head a little, listening and working.

Rob stretched out his arms, balancing on the roof as he relaxed further in the sun, rolling up his sleeves again.

"When we found ourselves t'birds, we were so proud that we acted like kings. Ye would have laughed if ye coulda seen us- we hav been known ter laugh about it still. But on of t'old geese, he didna like it and took a distinct dislike. He was almost as big as me and much louder, so of course I wasna too happy ter see him."
That was an understatement. He remembered well the terror he had felt as the old gander spread it's wings and shook them, advancing as they tried to make a run for the nest.
"But t'fear of disappointing Ma was greater, ye ken. She had a way of looking which made us feel as sorry fer ourselves as ye never would beleive, and all t'while she'd hug yer and give ye some tasty moresel ter chew on."

"You have... a wonderful Ma then." He smiled genuinely impressed by the way in which Sinclair spoke of her. Of course, as it seemed, the mother was well skilled in having her young ones bring her the eggs or things that she'd ask for.

He imagined a goose running after the surgeon and couldn't help but laugh a little at the thought. "So, go on, what have you done, you have fled him, of course?"

Rob nodded in agreement. yes, his Ma had been wonderful, if at times a little scary. But hadn't other bairns also come to her sometimes, for help?
he returned to the story with a will, "With t'imaginings of a six year old, returning ter yer Ma empty handed when she'd look so wasna an option."

He grinned a little. in truth, returning empty handed to his ma had never been the favoured option, "We decided ter distract him, Hamish, being bolder was ter challenge t'bird and I was ter sneak in around him and grab as many eggs as I could. Which we did, adn twas fine, until t'bird realised what we were up ter, and chased after me, instead."

"Oh, you with all the eggs in hand and an angry bird at your tail, that must've been a sight!" He grinned and was scraping the last of the dirty old hay mixed with horse's other 'kind gifts'. He willed the surgeon to continue, the other man's relaxed state a fair opposite to his own below. As long as the man wouldn't be burnt by the vile eye of the sun!