I’ve spent a fair amount of time digging in the garden in the past few weeks. It is really only when you actually spend time in the garden amongst the wildlife, that you see what is really going on around you.

My new best friend is a young Robin who has been following me around the garden from site to site, checking the quality of my digging and making sure that I cut back the shrubs in the right way. The minute that I stop digging or cutting he arrives to inspect or to rid the area of insects. I swear he is telling me off at times as he really chirps for all he is worth.

There is nothing nicer than working with a Robin alongside. Firstly, he sings to me as I work, but also he is a friendly little thing that does no harm to anything. Last year the Robin was voted the UK’s national bird just ahead of the Barn Owl (in 2^nd) and Blackbird (in 3^rd), a well-deserved accolade.

A shadow lurks in the greenhouse

On Sunday morning I watered the greenhouse as usual. Having emptied the contents of the watering can, I went back to the water butt to fill up again.

As I walked back into the greenhouse a large shadow flashed to my right and something that seemed to be attacking me circled my head so fast that I didn’t see what it was.

After my previous experience with a Blackbird earlier in the year where it flew at me several times, I ducked down and walked out backwards to avoid the creature that was currently stalking me.

To my surprise, and relief it was my friend the Robin who had followed me into the greenhouse. He was inspecting the tomato plants and cucumbers.

At that same instant, I turned around and with dread saw one of our cats had also followed me into the greenhouse. At that precise moment he hadn’t spotted the Robin and therefore I attempted to grab him before he ….

The cat looked directly at the Robin and licked his lips, (literally, he did). His face changed to the look that means I am about to leap into the air at which point I got close enough to block his path.

He tried to circumvent my blocking tactic, but I was just quick enough to grasp his belly and lift him into the air and onto my shoulder.

I left the greenhouse and walked around the other side of the glass wall in an attempt to drive the Robin towards the door. As I got closer to the greenhouse, the cat decided that it was now or never and he jumped onto the roof.

The roof of our greenhouse is completely made of glass as most are. The cat landed on the glass and scrambled up to the roof apex. Now I couldn’t reach him and I was terrified that he would fall through as he is no longer a light pussycat. He soon realised that he couldn’t grip the glass and was precariously balanced on the top, looking like someone had put a pencil up his bottom, (not that I have ever seen a cat with a pencil so placed).

He looked at me and I looked at him, and I tried to talk him into coming down one side of the roof into my arms.  Do you think he would understand?

I whistled and I called and he ignored. Finally, he tried to walk down the other side, claws out, sliding as he went. I ran around just in time to grab him as he reached the miniscule gutter that hangs on the side. I had him in my arms.

The Robin was long gone and the roof survived. I don’t know if it stopped to watch and laugh, but it was soon back to scold me for my digging.

That’s my seat! No it isn’t, it’s mine!

Our cats are two brothers. Most of the time they seem to love each other, or at least they must do to lick hair of the others’ body!

Even when we put any kind of treatment on them, they take great pride in licking it off the other brother.

It isn’t all brotherly love though and there is a real sense of jealousy that develops when one has something that the other doesn’t. This week while I was working in the garden, one of the cats was asleep on the front door mat. This is a regular resting place and one they both covet. I really don’t know why as it is typically covered in dust and cobwebs.

You could see the other cat wanting to get on the mat but not knowing how to. The other cat then appeared with a dead vole in his mouth and started consuming it about 10 feet away. Being ultimately inquisitive the first cat shuffled over to see what he was doing, at which point the second cat left the vole and wandered around onto the mat.

I’m not sure the vole ever saw itself as bait to lure a cat off the door mat, but essentially that’s what it was. Having stood and watched this, I then realised the first cat had then stolen my kneeler and was settling down nicely.

Maybe it was me who was the dummy and they were actually looking to steal my kneeler!

Are you asleep? Then I’ll begin.

This cat jealousy actually seems to know no bounds. We try to do everything fairly; same food, same quantities, same treats and same attention, but they seem to believe that there is a conspiracy and one of them is out to get the other.

Maybe Donald Trump was a cat in a former life, as he too feels the claws of conspiracy throughout his world.

Where the cats feel they have been hard done by, there is a time honoured method of getting even. They wait until the other cat is asleep and they sneak up to them and then when they are sure they are dreaming, they attack. Both cats are guilty and both of them get quite upset, but what else are brothers for?

The attack usually consists of pinning them down and biting them, but it can vary depending on the need for revenge. It is always effective.

Synthetic Rhino Horns

Finally, this week, I read about four American biotec firms who are trying to perfect the manufacture of synthetic rhino horn. Debate is raging in the wildlife world as to whether this is a good thing or something that will encourage people to poach more.

Whatever they come up with to try to help preserve the natural world there is always someone who disagrees.

Sadly, there is no right answer to this particular initiative and they seem to be expanding it to include fake ivory and other animal “products”. I was puzzled how fake material could be used for medicinal purposes, but apparently it is actually biologically exactly the same. Well there is no medical scientific basis for the original material, so having none for the fake material is not difficult. But it is amazing what we can produce now and how long before we can 3D print animals for the Sahara to replace those being poached?

Well I am off to bite my wife as she is asleep next door while I write this and she had more pudding than I did last night.

Have a great weekend – the leaves have started falling so it is an opportunity to waste many hours picking them up!

Picture Round

The picture theme for this week is different again. I have a few pictures from a picturesque village that you can try to guess but it may take a bit of investigation. Otherwise, just enjoy the pictures.

There is no anagram as it is a very difficult name to scramble (which is sort of a clue in itself).

 Enjoy.

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