Ducks like people have days when they don’t want to do anything. When they wish to be lazy. A duck duvet day if you will.
Now I am figuring that some of you may have chosen to read this article because you thought I turned my pet duck into a duvet. And if you don’t know what a duvet is then I definitely need to explain. But it is a bit tricky to define.
It is sort of like a very large pillow for the bed. Except it is more like a quilt, but without all the quilting. Think comforter in a giant pillow case, that in the olden days was assuredly stuffed with feathers. (Hence the worry some of you may have had about my ducks.)
These days a feather filled duvet is super posh as they are quite expensive – not just in price but cleaning. More often than not they are synthetic now. Which I am sure many ducks are happy about.
So with that clear explanation out of the way, let’s consider my ducks and their duvet days. And again I should be clear, we are talking about Maggie. Out of all our ducks, thus far she is definitely the one most inclined. But then she leads a busy life.
Yesterday was a duvet day for Maggie. Morning came and I duly went to let her (and George) out of her bedroom. And by bedroom, I mean she has claimed our bathroom as hers each night. She (and George) come up the stairs at dusk and head straight into the bathroom. Yup, she puts herself to bed. And yes, she actually has a little cushioned bed in there. She is Queen Maggie after all.
Digressing again. So, I went to take Maggie and George downstairs as I normally do in the morning. I opened her ‘bedroom’ door and there she was comfortably ensconced on her bed. Not interested in moving. She would usually be ready to head outside, letting me know in no uncertain terms that I was being a bit slow about it.
But this morning was quiet and peaceful. A forewarning that she had decided on a duvet day. She was very obviously happy to be lazy and enjoy a not do anything day. So I left her be.
I too enjoy a duvet day now and then. The thing is you can never really plan them. You just wake up and realise or decide, I don’t know which, that you need a bought of do nothing.
The idea is to actually spend the day in bed, more or less. Preferably never getting out of you Pjs. Let the day unfold, go with the flow, relax, recharge and enjoy the sheer decadence of it.
In the UK (where duvets are the common form of bed covering) the phrase ‘Duvet Day’ was actually originally used to refer to a day bunking off work. But over time companies caught on and now many actually offer ‘duvet days’ as part of the employment deal.
It means you don’t have to phone in sick when you are not sick. You can actually phone in and claim a day off, a duvet day. Smart companies these, that do this, as it actual lowered sickness rates. And you may be surprised, but when people claim a duvet day, they really are most often in fact hanging out under their duvet for real.
Back to Maggie. I left her door partially open, giving her a privacy to her quiet time. Eventually she got up in the late morning to wander into the kitchen for a snack. Then it was back to bed. George was a little bored and would have preferred to have a good run around, but Maggie put him in his place. It was her duvet day after all.
And now today she has woken up early. All vim and vigour, and noisy. Time to go out! Now!! Such is the rejuvenation power of the duvet day.
PS. If you would like to read more about the humorous side of Ducks, Duvets and Feathers, read on…
And should you be on the lookout for duck and other animal inspired gifts – you’ll find quite a few in our shop.
