Trials of the Arche-Bishop, Wyth Sum Byrd-Countynge Toss'd In

I haven't read all of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan William's remarks on the place of Sharia in the English legal system yet, and it's often hard to judge what exactly was said based on news reports. Just ask Benedict XVI. Thus I'm disinclined to weigh in on whether it's fair to start addressing the man as "Archbishop Neville Chamberlain."

Nonetheless, we enjoy nothing better than a well-done satire in parody form here at the Minor Premise. And as the Chaucer blogger hasn't been penning lately, I really, really appreciated being able to get my Chaucerian fix courtesy of the irreverently literary Iowahawk. So rightly or wrongly, I had a very good laugh with a twist of schadenfreude at the expense of the aforementioned unfortunate archbishop. Perhaps it's just as well that confession season is upon us. An excerpt from Heere Bigynneth the Tale of the Asse-Hatte: An Archbishop of Canterbury Tale follows:

1 Whan in Februar, withe hise global warmynge

2 Midst unseasonabyl rain and stormynge

3 Gaia in hyr heat encourages

4 Englande folke to goon pilgrimages.

5 Frome everiches farme and shire

6 Frome London Towne and Lancanshire

7 The pilgryms toward Canterbury wended

8 Wyth fyve weke holiday leave extended

9 In hybryd Prius and Subaru

10 Off the Boughton Bypasse, east on M2.

11 Fouer and Twyntie theye came to seke

12 The Arche-Bishop, wyse and meke

13 Labouryte and hippye, Gaye and Greene

14 Anti-warre and libertyne

15 All sondry folke urbayne and progressyve

16 Vexed by Musselmans aggressyve.

Read it all here. Hat tip to MrsDarwin, who, like myself, wold she had ywriten yt.


Meanwhile, back at the ranch:
Baby and I forgot and got into the Great Backyard Bird Count a bit late (and wouldn't you know it, our previously plentiful yard birds weren't cooperating the first day of the count anyway.) As I seem to be having some trouble getting the Count website to load, I figured I might as well get our notes from the rest of the weekend off the back of a postcard and on here.

Our results, mostly from 15-minute intervals at the back window, but including some time Baby spent on the boardwalk out at the Swamp:
2/16--Swamp
8 Mallards
3 Blue-winged Teals
4 Great Egrets
3 Chipping Sparrows
--Yard
3 American Goldfinches
1 Pair Dark-eyed Juncos
2 Chipping Sparrows
1 White-throated Sparrow
2/17--Yard
3 Am. Goldfinches
2 male House Finches (one was my bud with the pinkeye--he was looking a little less goopy today!)
2 American Robins
1 Carolina Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
1 Yellow-Rumped Warbler
1 Mourning Dove
2/18--Yard
2 Am. Goldfinches
2 Carolina Chickadees
1 female Northern Cardinal