The weather is dismal. I am standing by the window of my house and looking at the low clouds. Will it stop raining any time soon? Unexpectedly, a small bird flies by the window. When it alights at the wisteria on my terrace, I realize it is a great tit. For some reason, there are many of them this year. With its black head and neck, prominent white cheeks, grayish back, and yellow belly, it is unmistakable. I have been seeing a few of them around my house ever since I moved to Motovun more than a decade ago, but their population has grown appreciably as of late. As far as I know, it eats insects during the summer, but it goes for a wide range of things to eat in the winter, including small hibernating bats. There are bats galore in these parts, too. Like all tits, it nests in cavities, such as tree holes. Other birds and squirrels may raid its nests, but there are no squirrels on the Motovun hill. The great tit on my terrace hops off the wisteria and flutters away soon enough, but my thoughts stay with it. To begin with, I wish it and its kind all the luck in the dense woods under my house. The winter is likely to be mild, which is perhaps why there are so many great tits around right now. But it does not take me long to start envying the tiny bird. No clothing. No heating. No computer. No salary or pension. No passport. No nothing. Just survival. If only I were able to live like a great tit!