Ian Rae has had a varied career as an RAF pilot, advertising man and marketing director and has gleaned from these diverse activities a sense of the absurd and a tendency not take life too seriously. This is reflected in the humorous verses he has written since retirement, examples of which appear in this book.

His poetry reveals a rare talent for the absurd reminiscent of the much-loved works of Edward Lear. In a similar vein, Ian’s mischievous sense of humour is guaranteed to raise the spirits of all who read his tongue-in-cheek rhymes.
As well as the section entitled ‘Unlikely Birds of Many Lands’, in which the make-believe figure of Professor Aylwin Plumes describes ornithological absurdities such as ‘The Grudge’, ‘The Squidge’ or ‘The Scrote’ to great comic effect, there are additional sections including ‘Nature Studies’, in which Ian turns his humorous attentions to more conventional creatures such as the prairie dog, walrus or porcupine and ‘Brevities’, in which he reminds the reader that the best verse is often the shortest.

A selection of original and cleverly-crafted limericks makes up the final portion of the book and these, once again, are guaranteed to raise a smile from even the most poker-faced individuals.