The moon being one day off full, it can't really get much more gibbous. And I was just musing to myself about the old days of the Moon Gibbon Folk, who mis-heard gibbous as gibbon, and decided to worship the moon gibbon as a god. I can't say I really missed them. It's a lot easier when they're not around. But back last winter they renamed themselves "Forward in Ferns", announced they were off for a better life, and headed off into the cold on their own.
But as Roxy Music once said, nothing lasts forever. I was wondering why the same old faces appeared out on the gravel earlier, and now they have some new friends. These call themselves the "Marsh Gibbon people", due to a mis-reading of the Ordnance Survey map for North Oxfordshire (being near the Rollright Stones, they assumed that "Marsh Gibbon" was marking a shrine). I say "friends". Actually it's quite clear they don't really get on at all. After all, one group believes that the Great Gibbon lives on the moon, while the other group believes he lives in a pond near Banbury,. But they have worked out that, if they work together, they have sufficient numbers to sway Community policy.
Well, so they think, at least. They've forgotten that fundamental tenet of Beaker belief - "my gaff, my rules". I've heard of democracy, but I'm much happier when it's being inflicted on other people.
Me thinks there is a remarkable similarity between the venerable Archdruid, may she reign long, and Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork.
ReplyDeleteI hasten to add that I mean this in the best possible way. I value my ears and would like them to stay where they are - with all due respect to the duty torturer.