A new bathroom shelf made from scrap wood and chain inspired me to gather the ducks we have acquired – I have no idea how we came to have so many!

An idiom: get your ducks in a row – to organise your tasks and schedule so that you are ready for the next step.

There are a number of theories behind the origin of this expression.

• Real ducklings walk in a line behind their parent – very organised
• The natural flight formation of ducks as they move through the sky – V-formation –  efficient, logical and organised
• The precise set-up of duckpins (which are a type of bowling pin)
• The mechanical ducks you can shoot at in a carnival firing range
• In a game of pool, a number of balls, called sitting ducks, line up neatly near pockets and can be tapped in one after another