Gibbon half a chance

A sad ending today.

The Moon Gibbon Folk, hearing our celebrations of Grinling Gibbons, wondered if he were some relation. We informed them that he was famous for carving wood, but was now dead.

So what, they asked, of Stanley Gibbons, the famous stamp collector? And we explained that Edward Stanley Gibbons, the famous stamp collector, was, like Grinling, great in his time - but now he's dead.

Dead? They asked. Yes - dead, we replied. Like we all must be. Everything that is now alive will now be dead.

They're not a terribly cheerful bunch, the Moon Gibbon Folk. Especially at New Moon. And even more especially when it's overcast, so there's no chance of them seeing a sliver of the New Moon even if it's there to see. There's sobbing all over the Great House tonight (not outdoors - it's too wet). It's a hard life, is life. But there's a bright promise the other side of it. Or, at least, there is if you're not convinced the whole world is going to be swallowed by a huge angry Gibbon.