Eye - 23 November 2012

From a butcher's tale to Homeland

The butcher’s tale

The team were tickled by the story of a butcher from a baker. Margaret Baker, of Welwyn Garden City Meeting, set to agitating our funny bones: ‘The arrival of this week’s Friend (16 November) has reminded me of a time, many years ago, when one of our then small daughters had a letter printed in The Vegetarian. The story she wrote (not her own invention) was this:

A man on holiday arrives at a village. There seems to be nobody about. Finally he sees a solitary figure leaning on a gate.

“Why is the village so deserted?” he asks.

“Everyone is in church. The village butcher has died and they are all at his funeral.”

“What beautiful music is that, coming from the church?”

The villager replies, “Sheep May Safely Graze.”’