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.

Action This Day

by admin - 16:37 on 05 September 2013

Another fine day, but forecast to be the last for a while – which might explain why The Pride has been so active today, its collective eye trained on anything small that squeaks or flutters.

Willow was the first offender. She carried a shrew into The Rural Retreat then allowed it to escape which led to much pursuit, joined in for a while by Pandora, until their quarry disappeared into a dark corner. The Tabby Terror left to look for outdoor excitement; The Grey Streak remained on guard by the fireplace until she too grew bored. Maia stayed curled on the sofa, unimpressed.

Willow was also the second offender. I believed her victim was dead until I used a broom to chase her outside from beneath the dining table and saw her mouthful of prey flutter. It's fortunate that our smallest cat can be deactivated by taking a firm hold of her scruff – something that usually causes her to release her victim too, as was the case on this occasion.

New life snapped in the garden this morning

I was able to pick up a stunned tree sparrow chick with my other hand and take it to a place of safety where it could recover. This took all of five seconds, following which the fortunate youngster flew into a handy thicket and I returned to the Retreat, to find Maia hunting shrew beneath the dining table. The wily rodent escaped again; Maia settled down until it emerged from its bolt hole.

All this drama was too much for me so I picked up the Pentax to continue my butterfly hunt, stepped outside and discovered two very shifty ex-kittens pawing something under Son of Seat. Pandora was the first to grab the luckless vole then scooted off beyond my reach. I closed my mind to the creature's fate and set out on my own search, which yielded nothing but an after-harvest landscape.

Back at the Retreat, not a creature was stirring except for the shrew. I was the only one to spot it scurry through the open door, come back again, then leave for good. Some shrews enjoy tempting fate.

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