A Fortunate Life

Have you finished reviewing your life yet ? enquired Pliny the Elder this morning.

Yes, thank you, I have, I replied.

And have you come to any useful conclusions? he asked.

Yes I have come to the useful conclusion that it wasn't very useful. That my life is just a series of events. If anything though, I concluded that I've been very lucky.

Except in the case where all your Christmas fish died, said Pliny.

No, even that was lucky. It meant I wouldn't kill them myself.

Let us hope you remain lucky, said Pliny.

I was lucky this morning, I said. You know that glass Sulphur Crested Cockatoo my sister gave me for my birthday? The one hanging near the back door?

Yes.

And remember what she said about those little copper hooks where the feet should be? That I should get two small branches of gum leaves and twine them together and poke them through the hooks?

Yes.

And remember I couldn't reach any of the branches of the gum tree in front of our house because the tree had grown too tall.

Yes, yes.

So I used a monkeytail that I found at the beach instead and it looked really bizarre and unrealistic?

Yes, yes, yes, I remember.

Well! This morning the rubbish collection truck accidentally knocked a huge branch off the tree when it lifted up the wheelie bin, and when I saw the branch lying in the road I thought, Hey, that's lucky!

Very lucky, said Pliny.