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.

A Discerning Diner

by admin - 23:29 on 16 January 2011

The evidence that Master Marten has become the world's first vegetarian predator continues to grow. After having spurned the cooked meat offered in the past few days, tonight the marten who in the past has enjoyed Bess's leftover rodents turned up his nose at chunks of raw chicken.

Perhaps he only eats free range poultry. Or maybe the rain dampened his appetite, although it didn't stop him guzzling egg, Nutella, nuts, peanut butter and honey. I wonder if he likes Quorn?

This does mean, however, that Matchgirl's bucolic dream of becoming a chicken wrangler could go ahead with no fear of a killer in the henhouse. Unless this is a ploy. Pine martens are crafty creatures.

I'll give him another opportunity tomorrow. If he rejects that I'll have to eat the remaining chicken myself.

Snappery Update: The RPS workshop which Matchgirl and I attended yesterday in Bridge of Allan was a bit of a disappointment. It was held for snappers working towards Licentiate and Associate status, although I was there just to see what happens rather than show any work.

We saw lots but heard little, for a high ceiling and a wooden floor combined poorly with the mostly muted mutterings of the experts. Still, the day gave me a few ideas to pursue in coming months.

Moggy Update: Life continues to be trying for cats. The snow which kept Bess grumbling indoors has gone, but torrential rain is the latest problem for a mog who prefers dry paws. She was eventually lured outside by Matchgirl, where she also showed little interest in raw chicken.

That's Bess, of course – veggie Matchgirl won't eat chicken in any form. The would-be chicken wrangler has still to explain what she'd do with the male chicks she'd hatch if her fantasy became reality.

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