I had always enjoyed the visits of my cousin Susan

Whose sunny personality brightened up my day

She was a couple of years older than I was

And used to share the smallest bedroom with me

There was no other options as my uncle and aunt

Took possession of my parents room and my parents

Well you know how it goes it was the classic domino effect

Some might have found this a little strange

Cousins sharing a room but they need not have worried

As we slept in sensible night wear approved by the puritans in the house

That was until the hot summer of 1976 when the nights were like the days

As normal we changed in the bathroom and retired on happy terms

But during that night I became so hot that I abandoned my nightwear

In the morning I would just stay under the covers until I was alone

That was what was supposed to happen but soon after dawn

I heard some unusual bird noises coming from the garden which I could not easily identify

My curiosity became such that I turned around intending to look out of the window

If I was quiet I reasoned nobody would hear me especially Sue

I was in for the greatest shock of my life as standing there in front of me

As naked as the day she was born was my unconcerned cousin

I tried to speak but my words would not form easily

It was nothing but a dream I was dreaming a wicked dream

Eventually I came to my senses and asked her what she was doing

She enquired about the mystery birds and asked me to look at them

I stood up in all my glory which caused a smile to flicker across her lips

In all we must have stood there for about five minutes discussing the birds

And then it happened as her mother quietly entered our room for some reason

We explained that we were bird watching as they were birds of beautiful song

And then we both slipped into our respective beds and as soon as Sue’s shocked mother had left the room

We both began laughing whilst trying not to wake the house

At breakfast Sue and I acted as if nothing had happened

Nothing had happened as it was quite natural and very innocent

My father who was a self proclaimed expert on birds identified the culprits

As Neon Green Parrakeets most likely fugitives from a nearby aviary

I never shared a room with Susan again as we had both somehow sinned

Susan and her family now live in Bexhill and we live in Hastings

Our families see each other from time to time

A couple of years ago I asked her about that enchanted morning

As we both cannot now see a Neon Green Parrakeet

Without recalling this ridiculous but hilarious incident