There was once a little finch called Toby. He was three years old (which for a finch is about mid-teens) and he lived in a oak tree in the middle of Hyde Park. For the most part he enjoyed his life. He went for a fly around the city every morning at sunrise. He feasted richly on scraps of Monster Munch and Pret-a-Manger sandwiches scattered on the ground near his tree. He was good friends with the squirrels. But he was lonely. When it was cold at night, as he snuggled into his nest, his thoughts always turned to Emily Lark, the lovely wee fledgling he had fallen wing over feet in love with when they were both at nursery. As a young finch he had always been too shy to cheep at her, and when he saw her the edges of his beak would turn as red as Gordon Robin’s breast! But that was a long time ago, and it did not do Toby any good to dwell on the past and past regrets.

One particularly sunny morning, Toby was out for his morning fly-around and he decided to stop for short rest and a beakful of dew on a larch tree near Poet’s corner. He sat on a branch, looking out at the world, and warming his wingtips in the rays of the rising sun. He closed his eyes. Another bird flew down. Toby opened one eye and glanced over. He almost fell off the branch! It was Emily. His heart fluttered as if he’d just eaten a bee! Their eyes met, and she smiled at him. This was his chance. He shuffled along the branch towards her. She didn’t fly away. He looked again into her eyes, and her gaze back at him told him he might not be lonely any more.