Seventeen Blossom Drop Lane

One spring day, when the sun had woken up, and she had put the moon and the stars to bed, she felt rather inspired.   

The sun loves to watch over human and natural life and provide them warmth and sunlight to add a little brightness to their day. 

To your day too.

Even on chilly or rainy days, she hopes that humans and natural life can find a patch of brightness in their day. 

The birds and the children wake up to the sun’s sweet smile and the children open their curtains to let the day in, and the birds look beyond the greenery that falls in front of them like curtains too. 

While the sun was sending her daily morning smile to the birds, and the natural world that wraps around us like our favorite coat, and as she sends her daily morning smile to the children, a troubling thought occurred to her. 

When do the birds and the flowers and the bees and the caterpillars ever spend time with the children? 

The sun knew that from below, the children admire the birds, and the trees, and the plentiful gifts of nature. 

The sun also knew that the birds, and the trees, and the plentiful gifts of nature admire the children, from above too. 

But had they ever met properly? 

The question troubled her. 

It wasn’t just the sun that had this worry. 

A very thoughtful bird named Birdie had the same thought.

And a very sweet child named Dotty had the same thought. 

Even the moon and the stars had the same thought. 

Aren’t they all so wise?

Humans seem to enjoy the natural world.

You may too. 

Whether you notice the birds dance with their friends in the sky, or perhaps you don’t see them.

Perhaps you hear them. 

Perhaps you hear the birds' sweet song in the morning and you forget why you need an alarm clock. 

Perhaps the friendly robin that stays for a little extra longer one day on a sunny spring day in the peace of your garden just simply wants to feel your company. 

It’s always a wonderful day when the flowers are big and bright, and the bees are fussing around them. 

You may look, and even talk to your favorite birds, or the flowers, or that pesky but helpful bee who helps make us our honey. 

The birds may tweet to us to tell us something, but I wonder how much we capture, how much we truly understand.

And so here, our story begins. 

Here we meet the friendship between a little girl named Dotty, and a little bird named Birdie. 

Dotty loves the natural world, and Birdie loves the human world, but they always felt they were watching each other from afar. 

This is the story of a bird and a girl who wanted to spend time in each other's worlds. 

Dotty’s World: 

Dotty had always been fond of the birds that visited her garden.

From the gentle flutter of feathers as the birds gather in grouplings to make pictures that seem like postcard prints in the sky, to the quiet ones that curiously visit on their own and sit peacefully on a lone branch of the blossoming tree in her garden around spring time. 

‘’I wonder what they think about?’’ Thought Dotty. ‘’Do they need a friend? 

I could be their friend.’’

There was one little birdie that Dotty never saw, but she always heard. 

Dotty had become quite fond of this little bird, even though she had never met her. 

It was the bird she never sees, known to Dotty as Birdie. 

From the moment Dotty wakes up, she hears Birdie’s sweet song that wakes her up lovingly and carries her to start the day, inviting the day's joyful prospects into her home as the curtains open. 

But by the time she’s opened up the curtains to have a peek, all she can hear is the distant flutters and the fading tweet of birdie’s song. 

The song is lost in the bird’s distant flutters as he starts his day, but the last little notes of the song are heard by Dotty, who cherishes them, and puts them delicately in her dressing gown pocket like a music box, hoping some of the music from birdie’s song will stay with her and that if she needs it, she can play it in her mind so that the day sings along with Dotty. 

Every morning, before school, Dotty would leave bird feed in the dove blue coloured bird box pinned up proudly in the garden.

When Dotty has breakfast each morning, she looks hopefully out to the window, to see if Birdie may perch with her, maybe if she does, she could even treat him to some croissant and jam crummies. 

Before Dotty knows it, it’s time for school. 

And after a slight rush to get out of the door,

and a woosh to collect her book bag,

a bye to her mummy and daddy, 

and a shut of the door, 

it’s time to wait for the school bus. 

Dotty stops and waits,

Looks behind her and all around her,

Wishing she could catch a glimpse of Birdie.

Dotty likes to pay attention to everything that passes by.

Dotty listens out for Birdie in the rustles of the leaves, but the leaves sound different depending on what time of year it is, ofcourse. 

In the spring, she looks forward to pinky blossoms falling faintly through Birdie’s feathers. 

In the Autumn, she looks forward to orange and crimson crispy leaves making a loud, crunchy noise that forms a lovely trail for the pavement, perhaps for Birdie to walk on, to rest his weary wings for a moment. 

Dotty wonders where she would go if she could fly. 

She dreams of being somewhere up high and above, to gain the same perspective as the Birdies.

Oh the things she could see if she could fly.

Where would you go, if you could fly?

The first stop Dotty would go to would be the seaside. 

The ultimate birds eye view.

She’d admire how the sea glistens from the perspective up high, and how the waves work together to help make memories for children and their families at the beach. 

Dotty leaves her day dream for a moment. 

She thinks about her favourite seasons like Spring and Autumn, and how much time she has spent outside trying to find Birdie.

But yet, she never does quite see Birdie out and about. 

Dotty looks out the window on the school bus, and carefully carves out a patch of condensation, the perfect place for Birdie to visit.

A special spot just for him. 

A little place of home maybe. 

But he never stops by.

So, sadly, the patch she paved for him frosted over as she arrived at school. 

The window to meet her, lost, as the frost makes home on the fragile glass. 

But still, Dotty never gives up hope that she might see Birdie, and does lots of sweet things to invite their greeting.

Every single day. 

Dotty sees many lovely birds go about their day when it’s play time at school.

But she never sees Birdie. 

It may seem funny, or impossible, that Dotty would know what Birdie may look like.

After all, she has never actually seen Birdie before.

But when you have that feeling, that feeling is usually right.

Dotty just knew Birdie had never quite been in her sight. 

But Dotty knew that if she ever met Birdie, he’d be a delightful delight. 

Birdie’s World:

Like Dotty, and like you, Birdie wakes up in the morning, just before dawn, to get ready for work. 

A bit like how your Mummy or Daddy, or Auntie or Granny may get ready for work. 

Birdie’s job is probably a little different to the one who looks after you. 

Birdie has to fly and sing to wake the humans in the community.

It’s a lovely and important job for Birdie, but he can’t be late.

Birdie knows, from his few dear years here on Earth, that not all human alarm clocks go off all the time. 

So, he has to sing quite loudly, but peacefully, to help the humans rise. 

It’s a wonderful but tiring job and Birdie has to have lots of rest, and munch lots of bird feed kindly left to him from the kind humans he visits. 

In a way, Birdie is just a little bit like Santa Clause. 

He gifts humans a little song, and the humans leave out bird feed, a little like how children leave out mince pies for Santa and his Reindeer. 

A big difference to Birdie and Santa though, is that Santa comes on one fine festive day in December.

Once a year. 

But Birdie works every single day! 

‘’It’s not a competition though.’’ Birdie reminded himself, rather sternly. 

There is one particular home that Birdie visits, that makes Birdie feel very loved everyday. 

What’s funny, though, is that he never sees who it is that makes him feel so loved. 

But he knows someone must be there.

It’s just a feeling. 

And when you have that feeling, that feeling is usually right. 

Birdie knew that if he ever met Dotty, she’d be a delightful delight.

A very special sort of person:

Each morning, when Birdie flutters and sings, like he’s presenting his own Birdie radio programme from the clouds, for all of us to listen, he always feels that his feathers are a little warmer and his morning song feels a little sweeter as he nestles under seventeen blossom drop lane for a small but special moment. 

Often, Birdie wishes he could stay here all day long. 

But as he gratefully chomps the honey, oaty, bird feed he so deeply looks forward to each morning, he knows that he needs to wake the other humans up quickly. 

So, he tweets a loving ‘’thank you’’ that is heard by Dotty, as she dreams.

And as he flutters away, 

Dotty starts her day.

She wishes to see him as she looks out the window, and he wishes to see her as he flutters away from 17 blossom drop lane, to 18 lemon drop lane. 

There is a very special sort of person who both Birdie and Dotty admire. 

A lady and a man carry the post from door to door, ferrying around magical letters from different places in their special red satchel. 

A postman, and a post lady, that Dotty and Birdie often see each day. 

Dotty thought they were the most magical people. 

These tall and smiley humans dressed in red, with big red satchels and many places to go. 

How magical that people’s words can travel so far.

And that their voice will always be heard.

Even if they are a hundred miles away. 

As quiet or as loud as your voice may be, 

people will always hear you if they have your letter.

No matter how far away from you they are,

your words will be heard,

If they have your letter. 

A secret tunnel of your deepest thoughts, flown away like a rocket, hands on hands, vans upon vans, dedicating their day to make sure you are heard. 

Your words kept safe and secret between the walls of the envelope. 

Dotty had a brilliant beyond brilliant idea. 

Just like people who might write letters to each other, Dotty and Birdie were far away from each other too. 

Although they hear each other sometimes, their lives are different and they both have places they need to be.

Birdie is up in the clouds lots of the time, and Dotty has to be at school. 

‘’What if I could write Birdie letters and leave them in the bird feed box?’’ Dotty’s eyes and heart lit up so quickly that she didn’t know if her heart was captured first or her mind. 

She wasn’t sure if Birds could read, so perhaps she could draw pictures, Dotty clarified to herself.  

Pictures tell stories too. 

Pictures of words.

Perhaps they could be called picture letters. 

So with that, Dotty decided that before she went to bed at night, she would write Birdie a message with the bird feed, a picture letter, by drawing pictures, wishing he had a beautiful day. 

Whether it was a heart, 

or a smiley face, 

a flower or a caterpillar, 

the rain that day, or the sunshine.

The snowy days at school full of hot chocolate and laughter,

or the picnic she had with her mummy on a spring day in the meadow somewhere close to 17 Blossom Drop Lane, and 18 Lemon Drop Lane. 

The sun,

The moon,

The stars,

Or all the gifts of nature combined. 

All of these little symbols, simple or extraordinary tell a story,

She knew it would make Birdie smile, and they could connect to each other like grown ups do when they write letters to one another, too.

For years to come, Birdie adored the picture letters from Dotty and the warmth they radiated to one another, each and every day.  

Birdie could even draw pictures back, painting with the end of his beak. 

Have you ever seen a bird paint with his beak? 

Birdie drew all sorts of beautiful sights he had seen in the clouds,

From aeroplanes soaring through the sky,

To friendly Robins,

To beautiful butterflies,

To the tops of colourful umbrellas,

To adoring children below who follow his day with their eyes.

And even just the fluffy clouds themselves.

All of these paintings, created by Birdie’s mind and Birdie’s beak. 

His very own Birdie brush.  

Dotty loved Birdie’s picture letters as much as Birdie loved Dotty’s picture letters. 

Birdie even brought Dotty peonies in the spring, sometimes daffodils, and later on in the year he collected poppies, and a flower Birdie felt was particularly friendly, daisies, and he left them lovingly by the bird feeder, so that she would know how much he appreciated her pictures.

Her and his words of love. 

Drawn out as pictures.

Love helps friendship grow like the happy, healthy, colourful flowers we grow.

Friendship is a universal language,

We don’t always need to speak the same words to understand one another. 

Bare that in mind, when a curious butterfly comes your way one day,

Perhaps they just want to be friends.

Or you meet someone that speaks another language to you.

Friendship is a language every human, 

every bumble bee,

every Wallflower,

bird,

tree,

planet,

star, 

child

Can understand.

If you invite warmth and care into your interactions, you will help friendship bloom for you, and for all of the living creatures, the plants, and the stars and the sun.

And that is the story of how Birdie and Dotty became friends on 17 Blossom Drop Lane.

And the story of how Birdie’s children, and Dotty’s children kept the friendship alive.

And how the children of their children and their children kept the friendship alive.

Honouring Birdie and Dotty’s friendship, by making new friendships with each other. 

Generations of Birdie’s and Dotty’s, kept, and continue to keep, the magical bond with human life and nature, proving that us humans can be friends with life other than ourselves, with something wonderful and friendly and kind like our friend Birdie. 

Sweet friendships blossom as the daisies and the peonies bloom, 

and the daffodils bloom,

 and the poppies bloom. 

The gifts of nature, as the sun had hoped, became friends to Bird, Girl and Boy forever more. 

So, If you see a friendly birdie today,

be sure to give it some love,

to send it on its way.

After all,

They have quite the busy day.