Thursday, July 15, 2004

We apologise for any interruption to transmission, do not adjust your sets ...

I haven't been able to post for the last few days,
most people's Blogs seem a little sparse, so perhaps it
was a problem with Blogger rather than my Blog ?

I even took the precaution of e-mailing the entry to Stan, in case this won't publish, if you are reading this Stan, then you can ditch
the e-mail, cheers.

So with apologies for tardiness, here is Tuesday's entry


A delightful waste of time


Blogging at this dining table, in this house in Leith Hill is the most perfect and absorbing place to write. However,I waste so much time staring out of the window. The dining room window overlooks a clearing in woodland. Yesterday, I watched motionless as a hind picked her way daintily through the grass, selecting choice leaves & pausing, foreleg raised, every third or fourth mouthful to check she was safe & unapproached. I know deer aren’t endangered & we’ve all seen them, it’s just the thrill of being able to watch one from 5 feet away

I have also been watching a flycatcher recently (yes Weeny, it’s a bird). She has nested in the open space above a newly-fitted window & flits back & forth industriously, her beak crammed with goodies for her brood. She’s there as I type now, perched in a beech tree, tail dipping.

Last week I watched a young fox cub stalk & catch a baby rabbit. He didn’t so much stalk it really, the rabbit stalked him. It approached, completely oblivious to the danger, the fox just lay down quietly, then timed the leap when bunny was too close to avoid the inevitable.

My attitude to animals is more pragmatic PNZ. There was a time when I would have knocked on the window to scare the rabbit & fox away. Now, I appreciate the fox has to eat.

On which subject, do me a favour, or not, your choice. Next time you’re buying your chicken (in the UK this is) check that it really is free-range or RSPCA approved. I was listening to ‘Farming Today’ one morning & was dismayed to hear that these days chickens are starved for their 6 short weeks of life. I was very surprised to hear this, it’s somehow more upsetting than hearing about the practice of over-feeding. The rationale is that starving them prevents the leg & heart problems associated with over-feeding. It’s horribly ironic to imagine an animal starving for 6 weeks to feed me.

What’s really sick, is a ‘normal’ chicken costs 1.99 & the free-range one I bought costs 7.00. Which one is the family on a budget going to choose ?

I’ll stop here, before people think they’re reading Joe’s Blog :)

Some thank you’s

Linda & Garth, Weeny & Trudy.

All of whom helped, lugging my surprisingly large amount of personal belongings into a Transit van on Saturday.

Biggest thanks though, go to Turbo.

Not only did he spend an entire day being driven from Leith Hill, to Epsom, to Kingston, to Crystal Palace, to West Molesey, to Kingston.
But if ever someone was justified in getting out of their pram, it would be when they’re supporting the entire weight of a sofa, going up a flight of stairs, trying to bend the thing around a 90 degree corner, whilst the person at the top intones, ‘It won’t go, it won’t go’ & stops taking any weight. He didn’t, by the way. Get out of his pram that is. Just took the door off the hinges.

Just as Sharon arrived & we met for the 1st time.

Well done you.

I have just had to rescue to postman from Jasper. He was standing with the letters above his head in classic surrender pose whilst Jasper barked threateningly around his ankles. Barley was joining in, just for the hell of it.

‘I won’t come any closer love, cos he goes for me’ he said as I shuffled out in Xmas neddy slippers to retrieve the bounty.

He’s right too, Jasper’s a classic coward, barking ferociously at anyone he senses is scared of him but backing off worriedly when you really would like him to bark at the scary-looking loner, who’s been following, on your woodland walk for the last 10 minutes.

Jasper & I have had many discussions about where a dog fits in to the general scheme of things. The dogs are sitting at my feet now, awaiting their walk, so I’ll sign off & go stretch my legs.

Trudes,

Good luck today, with your Sergeant’s exam, I will ring you later to find out how you got on.

Bill

Here’s some random words, as requested to see what Blog adverts are generated.

Incontinence. Flatulence. Gangrene. House mites

How soon til you come back ?

Cx





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