Guardians of Aireyholme Farm

A gaggle of geese attempt at walking single file down a muddy track. Their military precision was disrupted by the temptation of murky puddles to wallow in.

The track leads to a gate into a green field. It’s soggy and well-used, with tyre marks alongside the geese’s footprints. At the top of the field there appears a curious shack, perhaps a weekend retreat, often noticed but never visited, at least not that I have seen.

The geese, sporting various shades of white with muddy bellies, waddle forth. The lead goose extends its neck, guiding the others in tow. They move in tandem, heads held high, fixated on their destination with just a hint of teamwork.

These guardians of the farmyard disdain my intrusion. The cacophony commences. They’re “never content unless they be where they baint.”¹‘The English Dialect Dictionary, Being the Complete Vocabulary of All Dialect Words Still in Use, or Known to Have Been in Use during the Last Two Hundred Years: A-C’. 2024. Google Books <https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oEMOAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq=%22Jan+Trezise%22+geese&source=bl&ots=XpIcIkrrSa&sig=ACfU3U2MQTWjXoPrY2DlHuttfhjuVzBSBw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJ7fuziIOFAxWCa0EAHcNCAvk4ChDoAXoECAQQAw#v=onepage&q=%22Jan%20Trezise%22%20geese&f=false> [accessed 20 March 2024]²Baint — ‘Be not’. Atkinson, Rev. J. C. “A Glossary of the Cleveland Dialect” Page 41. 1868. JOHN RUSSELL SMITH,SOHO SQUARE.

Just another tranquil day on Aireyholme Farm.

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  ‘The English Dialect Dictionary, Being the Complete Vocabulary of All Dialect Words Still in Use, or Known to Have Been in Use during the Last Two Hundred Years: A-C’. 2024. Google Books <https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oEMOAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq=%22Jan+Trezise%22+geese&source=bl&ots=XpIcIkrrSa&sig=ACfU3U2MQTWjXoPrY2DlHuttfhjuVzBSBw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJ7fuziIOFAxWCa0EAHcNCAvk4ChDoAXoECAQQAw#v=onepage&q=%22Jan%20Trezise%22%20geese&f=false> [accessed 20 March 2024]
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  Baint — ‘Be not’. Atkinson, Rev. J. C. “A Glossary of the Cleveland Dialect” Page 41. 1868. JOHN RUSSELL SMITH,SOHO SQUARE.