Quite a grim day today so we went for a little outing to Wood Green Animal Shelter. Once you get over the smell the time can pass quite quickly.
Although you do have to be careful of what you queue for.
That’s Farm at the back of the queue wearing the inside out sheep. She quite liked this queue because, although it was a slow mover, when you got to the front you could get one of these:
This was Molly, who we then got to take for a walk.
After a bit of Here Molly, Hello Molly, Aren’t you lovely Molly?, we had to take her back to the queuing area.
We half heartedly stood behind this rather large Mother and daughter combo, and reluctantly waited to hand Molly back.
When they got to the front of the queue, Farm and Marc weren’t yet sure about Molly.
But I had my suspicions.
Marc couldn’t decide on an empty stomach so, as it’s a Friday, we went and had some fish and chips at the Wood Green canteen.
While in the queue we looked over Molly’s particulars.
It said that she could be a bit shy at first and was rather wary of very tall people, but once you got to know her she was a total cuddle slut. Or something like that.
So after our fish and chips, which were very good, we went back to the main reception.
And Farm and Marc said that they would very much like to give Molly a home.
Then we saw a horse.
But Farm said she had no room for a horse.
December 1, 2006 at 4:50 pm
I want to know more about the horse.
December 1, 2006 at 4:50 pm
… and the name Farm
December 1, 2006 at 4:56 pm
The horse was so busy with his head down eating that I had to tug on his ear to get this picture. As soon as he posed he went back to hay munching.
We’ve always called her Farm because she was, well, brought up on a Farm. I think that other adults may now actually call her Claire, but I still call her Farm.
December 1, 2006 at 5:21 pm
i Love nicknames. had a friend in coLLege who was lovingly called Bagel, cos of her jewish roots.
December 3, 2006 at 12:07 pm
Do you think Molly was wary of being turned into an inside out dog?
December 3, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Yes, a little bit.
These farming types can be a little more utilitarian when it comes to cuddly animals.
December 3, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Although, I should add, that Farm no longer lives on a farm and is in fact a physiotherapist.
December 4, 2006 at 10:19 am
I worried that Molly isn’t queue-broken yet – she appears to be straining at the lead in an attempt to find something nearby to wee on.
December 4, 2006 at 5:55 pm
William,
Is queuing a human affair, or can it be found in the animal kingdom?
I’m pretty sure both elephants and ants form queues, can you give me more information?
December 4, 2006 at 10:00 pm
I actually may have been a little wrong with my facts.
Molly is in fact a Milly.
December 4, 2006 at 10:02 pm
Gary Wood, I would love to find some queues from the animal kingdom, and elephants are the perfect answer.
December 4, 2006 at 11:18 pm
Wasn’t Noah an early adopter of the animal queue?
December 5, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Sorry Gary, I don’t think that queueing comes naturally to animals at all. Just watch wildebeest as they migrate and all have to squeeze into a narrow gap to cross a river while the crocodiles lick their lips. There’s no sign of an orderly line, just lots of bumping and pushing, even though that never actually helps anyone in the long run.
I think it will the job of Claire/Farm to instill in Milly/Molly/Mandy the correct etiquette for standing in a queue.
December 5, 2006 at 6:18 pm
Noah was probably the first ever queue monitor.
I would be interested in buying a book on queue etiquette, have you written one yet williamdeed?
December 5, 2006 at 9:19 pm
But Sam Tana, ducks are great queuers. Well, ducks with ducklings are. Actually that’s the only other non biblical example I can give of queuing animals. So maybe you’re right.
Oh Gary Wood, I am pleased by your gentle encouragement towards published writings but I am too busy at the moment trying to look useful in an office.
December 5, 2006 at 10:42 pm
How else will I be able to read about queueing whilst on the move???
A book would be perfect, it won’t slow down. I will have complete control over its speed.
I would queue to buy a book about queues, but I wouldn’t queue very well – I wouldn’t know how until I had read the book.
December 6, 2006 at 11:32 am
William – re ducks. Imagine if, in Tesco, you adopted the duck’s approach and simply stood behind your mother at the check out and then, once she had been scanned, chipped and pinned (three falls or a submission) you followed her out of the shop without making any purchase of your own, and with four or five of your siblings following dutifully behind you. You would not have been queueing, you’d have been playing follow-the-leader. Ducks do not wait patiently and orderly for their turn to be served: ergo – they queue not.
December 6, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Sam Tana, I stand corrected.
Honestly, I don’t know where my head has been these past few days, being satinanoffice has me a little distracted.
December 6, 2006 at 2:39 pm
I prescribe a Gregg’s pasty, taken twice a day. Please queue on the left. Don’t forget your free mince pie.
December 6, 2006 at 6:14 pm
Free mince pies are no more. It is a sad state of affairs.
December 7, 2006 at 9:29 am
The free mince pie was such a nice touch.
If I was a business I would do something like that all the time. And not just for marketing purposes, but just to spread goodwill.
December 8, 2006 at 12:07 pm
They’ve probably moved on to hot cross buns. Such is the speed of modern bakery-based business enterprise.
January 16, 2007 at 5:32 pm
[...] and Homes Under the Hammer. Luckily for all of us the lovely Dr David Brand has been given the discussion of queuing animals some more thought and has come up with [...]
August 4, 2009 at 6:27 am
mm. interesting