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.
Screams in the Night
by admin - 19:58 on 22 March 2012
We heard the first blood-curdling shriek just after three in the morning. Matchgirl must have remained half-asleep because she didn't wonder were Bess was, and if she was in danger.
The high-pitched screaming continued. Something was definitely being murdered in the garden – on our doorstep, if the volume was anything to go by. What could the unfortunate creature be?
Then the shriek was answered – by a distinctive hooting. They were tawny owls (click the link to hear them).
After a while we could distinguish three voices, two hooting and one shrieking. Whether this was a territorial tussle or mating mayhem it will take a better ornithologist than me to decide.
The calls receded after about fifteen minutes and faded completely soon after that. A small while later the cat-flap was heard being used at high speed: either Bess was back home after sensibly keeping away from the commotion, or the bold moggy had decided to investigate after the birds had flown.
Garden Update: As today was such a fine spring day I had no excuse not to begin some much-needed general tidying. Who needs to run marathons to get exercise?
My reward was an unexpected sighting of the year's first common lizard, revealed while I was clearing rocks. As his home was no more I carried him to the post at the bottom of the drive where the Clan Prescott has assembled in the past.
Mr Gardener must have had his spies out, for not long after my sore back and I had returned to the cottage he phoned to say he'll visit tomorrow to discuss the next stage of The Great Garden Makeover and mark out the area where Matchgirl's Supershed will stand.
It looks like busy days are ahead.
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