Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

What An Excuse

by admin - 21:13 on 24 February 2012

It's only February, but the 2012 Feeble Excuse Award has already been won by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association – an organisation determined that eagles, kites, buzzards, foxes and any other indigenous predators will not be allowed to put game birds at the slightest risk.

Now they want a cull of pine martens, and to back up their claim of a reign of mustelid terror they cite declining capercaillie numbers. Even the RSPB says they're deluded.

I'd love to know how the gamekeepers would cope in most other European countries where the native predators are rather larger. They'd probably want a cull of bears, lynx and wolves too.

Martens are treated much better around The Rural Retreat, even if the time of their nightly appearance continues to be erratic. Last night the Bushnell snapped Mrs Marten before eight o'clock – it won't be long before we see her again in daylight.

She may have returned later, but strong wind blew over my second-best tripod, on which the camera is fixed. After that the only snaps I got were of the top of the willow tree, and as the wind kept its branches moving all night my motion-activated apparatus captured more than sixteen hundred variations on the theme. I think I'll enter them for the Turner Prize.

Marathon Update: There was much gloom in the Retreat yesterday when Matchgirl was diagnosed with a pulled hamstring. The glass-half-empty girl was certain that her athletic endeavours were over for ever and all she had to look forward to was shuffling old age.

She's a little more positive today and almost believes that one day she'll walk again without pain. I, on the other hand, remain confident that Marathon Matchgirl will impress us all in London. She's a star.

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