I have discarded the offshoot poem of “A Choir of Pine”. I am confident that in the parent poem, I have expressed the theme to my satisfaction; the different style of the offshoot seems to me insufficient justification for its existence, rendering it redundant.

I shall now proceed to the next sketch, “That Is All”: a celebration of the sights and sounds of my rural surroundings, much like “Over the Mountain” before it.

Its form and working title were inspired by “Dis Al”¹, a sombre poem by Jan F. E. Celliers who in brief, swaying metre expresses the sorrow of an exiled soldier returned. It is an unexpected beginning for my cheerful theme, but who dictates to the muse?

1. Pronounced [diss ull], Afrikaans for “that’s all”.