Every morning I count the wildlife I have seen and relate the tally to Polly. The relating usually mentions deer. I'm not always sure what the deer are although I can recognise the muntjak close up. First time I saw one of those was in Hertfordshire and I mistook it for a giant hare. Frightened the life out of me. remember Night of the Lepus? That film had rabbits instead of hares but the misnaming wasn't the scary thing here it was the size. Now I take meeting deer in my stride. Saw a whole herd of 10 deer in the field next door. I also have a joke routine that goes:
saw 1 muntjak; 1 kingfisher; 2 swans; one million assorted ducks...
I am sure I misidentify a lot of birds and mammals because they aren't quite close enough for sighting memorable bits to aid in identification. For example I also saw a wading bird coloured like a seagull ordinaire but it was standing like a heron - but nowhere near big enough for my notion of heron. So what was it? Maybe it was a junior heron. When we lived in Donegal the herons were always big and readily recognised.
Out with the great book of British birds again.
There is always this site - RSPB - which whittles down the search criteria pretty darn good.
That's all for today folks.
edit: the bird might have been a Little Egret
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Monday, 3 January 2011
Failed
Just as I thought: I did not keep any of my new year's resolutions.
The 90 ciggies remain unsmoked and the 5 bottles of wine undrunk.
Slack, slack, slack.
The 90 ciggies remain unsmoked and the 5 bottles of wine undrunk.
Slack, slack, slack.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
2011
No new resolutions: the old ones are the best
90 gaspers a day
5 bottles of wine
That's the ticket!
Happy New Year
90 gaspers a day
5 bottles of wine
That's the ticket!
Happy New Year
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Always the way
Isn't it but? Isn't that always the way? You do something you've been putting off for ages and then when you do something comes along to spoil it. See, I posted some photos of our new life and new friends to my flickr stream:
here
and the very next day one of the new friends has gone. Dead.
I got up Monday morning as usual to let the dogs out for their first pee and poo. Roxy and I saw a fox in the mist not twenty feet from where we were standing in the frost and snow. It's hard to know if Poppy sees anything as she spends an inordinate amount of time spooking herself with imaginary intruders - at least I think they are imaginary, for when you investigate the barking there is nothing there. Roxy took a run after the fox which was in no hurry and lost it in the mist as she does the muntjac she chases every day. They are always just out of reach and have techniques that render them invisible while in plain sight.
When Roxy got back from her fruitless fox hunt she and Poppy went back into their beds where they wait for walk number two after I or Polly has had breakfast. When the time came for walk number two Roxy was a hesitant starter. Well, frozen ground, crunchy snow would make anybody baulk. After fifteen minutes of treat bribes and false starts, I gave up. Break the routine and why not? It's cold.
Back in the feeding room Roxy refuses her food, not unusual, she'll eat it later. Roxy puts herself to bed. Later on I came back down to check the mail and let the dogs out for another stretch and then upstairs with us for a lie down in our currently chilly flat but not as chilly as the dogs' sleeping quarters. Poppy hirpled up the stairs with her arthritis as she does - really looks uncomfortable - and Roxy, Roxy who races up the stairs to be first can barely make it. When she did get up she wanted back down again and Polly took her back down to her bed and covered her with her doggie duvet.
Eventually we decided 'this creature is really not well' and informed her people. In the afternoon they took her off to the vet and that, as they say was that. Poor Roxy had a huge tumour and had to be put to sleep. A fleeting friendship. We only knew her for a month.
There won't be a burial in the grounds she loved as we can't break the frozen ground. She's been sent off to be cremated and this beautiful creature who enjoyed two years of life with the people who rescued her - rescued her from a small flat and brought her to 60 acres of Norfolk wilderness - will be back soon in the New Year.
Bye-bye Roxy aged 12.
here
and the very next day one of the new friends has gone. Dead.
I got up Monday morning as usual to let the dogs out for their first pee and poo. Roxy and I saw a fox in the mist not twenty feet from where we were standing in the frost and snow. It's hard to know if Poppy sees anything as she spends an inordinate amount of time spooking herself with imaginary intruders - at least I think they are imaginary, for when you investigate the barking there is nothing there. Roxy took a run after the fox which was in no hurry and lost it in the mist as she does the muntjac she chases every day. They are always just out of reach and have techniques that render them invisible while in plain sight.
When Roxy got back from her fruitless fox hunt she and Poppy went back into their beds where they wait for walk number two after I or Polly has had breakfast. When the time came for walk number two Roxy was a hesitant starter. Well, frozen ground, crunchy snow would make anybody baulk. After fifteen minutes of treat bribes and false starts, I gave up. Break the routine and why not? It's cold.
Back in the feeding room Roxy refuses her food, not unusual, she'll eat it later. Roxy puts herself to bed. Later on I came back down to check the mail and let the dogs out for another stretch and then upstairs with us for a lie down in our currently chilly flat but not as chilly as the dogs' sleeping quarters. Poppy hirpled up the stairs with her arthritis as she does - really looks uncomfortable - and Roxy, Roxy who races up the stairs to be first can barely make it. When she did get up she wanted back down again and Polly took her back down to her bed and covered her with her doggie duvet.
Eventually we decided 'this creature is really not well' and informed her people. In the afternoon they took her off to the vet and that, as they say was that. Poor Roxy had a huge tumour and had to be put to sleep. A fleeting friendship. We only knew her for a month.
There won't be a burial in the grounds she loved as we can't break the frozen ground. She's been sent off to be cremated and this beautiful creature who enjoyed two years of life with the people who rescued her - rescued her from a small flat and brought her to 60 acres of Norfolk wilderness - will be back soon in the New Year.
Bye-bye Roxy aged 12.
Friday, 26 November 2010
Snow
It's official, we have snow. We saw it falling last night before settling down to watch Underworld Evolution
Later when I went out with the bins it had mostly gone from the hard surfaces. Hard to see in the dark. Later This morning when I took the dogs out for their first toilet the snow was still lying on the grass and the paths were icy. Other parts of the UK have had substantial falls. We can still move around but it is cold as in freezing. All the bodies of water have thin skins of ice at their margins. The dogs and I saw two swans had hauled themselves out of the water and were perched on a tree trunk lying partly on the bank and in the water. In the swimming pool I saw the little fish peering up at me through the ice.
Later when I went out with the bins it had mostly gone from the hard surfaces. Hard to see in the dark. Later This morning when I took the dogs out for their first toilet the snow was still lying on the grass and the paths were icy. Other parts of the UK have had substantial falls. We can still move around but it is cold as in freezing. All the bodies of water have thin skins of ice at their margins. The dogs and I saw two swans had hauled themselves out of the water and were perched on a tree trunk lying partly on the bank and in the water. In the swimming pool I saw the little fish peering up at me through the ice.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Changes
We'll be heading off to Norfolk next weekend to take up a joint post as caretakers at a beautiful location in Norfolk. The house is mostly packed up already - that might be me being optimistic, I think Polly has other ideas.
We have to go out now and get more boxes.
We have to go out now and get more boxes.
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