It’s not the daisies that were eating the tree.
The daisies were quite close to Holly, who was lying next to a birch tree and watching me:
I think she’d been taking an afternoon nap there.
She got up,
decided the birch tree was a snack,
and tried to nibble it to death.
Holly is one weird goat. We’re all slightly scared of her – all except Vesla, who’s much smaller than Holly.
A Bad Guide 
It can only be hoped that your goats have a good dentist.
I laughed. Just at Holly’s expressions. They seemed scarcely to need comment.
I’m still chuckling.
(However: Notification of this post came in to my e-mail, and I did wonder about Two Daisies Eating a Tree. I wondered if you were at Photoshop again.)
It’s hard to find a goat dentist, in either sense. It’s a niche market that needs – yes – filling.
Should I have used a comma: “Two daisies, and a goat eating a tree”? Is that the solution?
I don’t see a problem.
If they were dandelions they might need a dentist.
Ok, but only because we like it. It was unintentionally ambiguous at the start.
I laughed too, as catannea. Specially with Holly’s third picture. But I’m not sure why.
Maybe she looks like she’s thinking…here he comes again, with that thing he points at us. Hmph. What is there to eat?
Yes, I’m sure they all think both those things, I’ve seen it often.
Interestingly, my dogs appear to have similar thoughts!
Alma had our goats doing that sort of thing, jumping over benches and so on, but the driveway is cobbles and it’s too rough for a skateboard – actually I’ve always regretted we had nowhere to use one, bugger the goats, I would have liked to learn how to.
Something I read some time last month or so:
“He had a high-register voice with beautifully distinct enunciation, but his almost-perfect English sounded quite different from the home-grown variety. I worked it out after a while: it was his ‘l’s. The British pronounced ‘l’ with their tongue lolling back in the throat, the Norwegians said theirs with the tongue tight up behind the teeth. Retaining the Norwegian ‘l’ gave Sandvik’s accent a light, dry, clear-vowelled quality which made everything he said sound logical and lucid.”
(Dick Francis, Slay-ride, pp. 51-52.)
Would you say that Mr Francis had some sort of a point here? (I personally fail to make any ‘l’ with my tongue lolling back in my throat. Maybe I’m not enough of a daredevil, being too afraid of choking on an English ‘l’.)
Is this to do with the “dark” versus “light” L? Which, when I read about it, sometimes seems very clear, and sometimes completely incomprehensible?
I have read the book, but that bit didn’t clamour for my attention…I have heard very few Norwegians speaking English English, and don’t remember clearly how they speak in Seattle…
Many Ls are in danger of vanishing from English English – “little” becomes “littu”, and so forth. It’s a more severe case of what you hear in Adelaide (or, at least, what I heard twenty-odd years ago). A word is required for the phenomenon – like “non-rhotic”: it would be ideal if it were as good a joke as “non-rhotic”.
Dick Francis: Retaining the Norwegian ‘l’ gave Sandvik’s accent a light, dry, clear-vowelled quality which made everything he said sound logical and lucid.
Siganus Sutor: Would you say that Mr Francis had some sort of a point here?
Probably not. I sound logical and lucid all the time, and nobody here have ever heard my l’s.
Siganus Sutor: Would you say that Mr Francis had some sort of a point here?
Don’t you really, Trond? I totally think he (actually she, because it’s Mrs Francis who ghostwrote the books, isn’t it?) has a point that the Ls are as different between English and Norwegian as they are between English & French (I don’t know how Norwegian & French Ls compare, they ought to be fairly similar).
a light, dry, clear-vowelled quality which made everything he said sound logical and lucid
I dunno about that, though.
I have heard very few Norwegians speaking English English
There are very few here who don’t. Only the ones who have lived elsewhere, like the USA or Scotland, and acquired the local accent. I’m not sure if that’s also the case in Sweden & Denmark, but it may be.
Dearie, that’s a very peculiar screaming sheep. Do you have an explanation? Any theories?
…And about non-rhotic, what’s the joke?
Don’t you really, Trond?
Yeah, I went for the joke again. Sorry.
I do see his point. I think what he’s thinking of is the standard Eastern l used in ’til’. But Norwegian l’s are different, both between dialects and allophonic within dialects. The stereotypical rural redneck from north of Oslo speaks with l’s close to those of English ’till’, just with a little more pressure..
“about non-rhotic, what’s the joke?” The non-rhotic can’t pronounce non-rhotic; not, at least, without provoking cruel giggles.
As for the sheep, I have no idea. Is it a hoax?
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/14/chicago-ohare-airport-seeks-goats-for-yard-work/?intcmp=features
I’m surprised goats would be interested in airport grass. They really like leaves best. I think airports would be better off with sheep. Our goats would laugh at herding dogs. Haha.
I used to work at a refinery that employed a shepherd. As you say, sheep.
But the video did mention “grass and shrubs” I think. So perhaps a mixed flock/herd would be best.
as they are between English & French
Are the Ls different between English and French? Can you really hear a different pronunciation between “Anglais” and “English”? I’m afraid my ear must be too thick, because I can’t. The only thing that seems to make a difference to me is the tonic accent, which may induce some kind of perceived nuance between one word and the other.
Three people overcome by fumes and die in slurry-pit accident.
Sig, I must be thinking of the letter T. I know my wife when she was learning French had to practice saying Le capitaine a achetë le paquet de thé, and I can’t think of any other reason to do this.
a mixed flock/herd would be best.
Our goats seem quite disdainful of sheep. You may as well attempt a mixed herd of chimps & zookeepers.
Warn your daughter, Crown.
As he says, a complete debarkle. You’d think going through the gulls once would be enough, but no, then they ride through a second lot.