Flad meets the fox again

I think they know each other quite well by now. They give each other a look, then Flad strolls nonchalantly away and goes about his catly business while the fox licks the remainder of the curry out of the plastic dish.

Frog ladder

Here is Froggy's new ladder. Hope it does the trick.

Nocturnal frog

The frog that used to live in the pond had to quit her residence because the pond liner split and all the water drained out. Yesterday, my partner relined the pond and filled it with water again. Around 9 last night, some movement turned on the security light and there was the frog, hopping back home.

New bird box

I bought two new bird boxes and asked my partner to put them up for me as he is much taller than me and handier with hammer and nails. I named the locations where I wanted them to placed - one on a tree with lots of ivy cover, and the other underneath the lip of the workshop roof, which is shielded by shrubs.

He acceded to one of my wishes and placed the robin nest box on the workshop, but the other he stuck in what in my view is the stupidest place where no small bird will ever venture: up under the plastic covering over the side path, right opposite both the door and the cat flap. What birds would want to get disturbed all the time by people barging about all the time, and a hungry cat parked beneath, staring avidly upwards?

Will any bird be daft enough to take up residence? He says he's going to make a To Let sign for it, so watch this space!

Bonking Ladybirds!

Another sign of spring!

The thieving magpie

I threw out a chunk of stale cheese-loaf for the fox. You can see the magppie eyeing it up, too.

The fox decided to go for a drink of water first. Big mistake!

Magpie 1, fox 0.

But, being a cunning creature, he crept round to the side patio doors and eyed me up to see if I was going to throw out anything else! Cheeky so and so.

Bookends!

These pigeons are so alike that they must be related. They look like twins. Talking of which, out of a box of six eggs bought last week, every singe one had a twin yolk. What are the odds against that, I wonder?

Peep-bo!

From time to time, another, much shyer, fox visits the garden. I'm not surprised it doesn't like having its photograph taken as it has the mange quite badly, and its tail is in a dreadful state, poor thing. It hid behind a garden chair as I pressed the shutter.

A narrow escape

I saw this big bumble bee and rushed out to photograph it. Just as I clicked the shutter, I noticed the eight-legged enemy that lurked on the other side of the heather sprig. I could almost read the spider's mind; hmm, do I stand a chance? Should I pick on somebody my own size? As soon as the bee buzzed and vibrated its wings, the spider turned tail and dashed for the cover of the leaves.

What a splendid specimen of a bumble bee it is. Look at all that pollen clinging to its fur.

I can see you!

You know that feeling that you get when someone's watching you? Well, someone was!

7 things about me

To fulfill the criteria of my Stylish Blogger award, I have to say seven things about myself. I shall try to make most of them animal related, as befits this blog...

1. My first literary success was winning an RSPCA essay prize when I was about 8.

2. My first cat was a ginger ex-Tom called Sandy. He initiated games of hide and seek and we humans would take turns hiding so he could find us, or he would hide and we'd have to creep up and find him, tail twitching madly in the shrubbery.

3. I began collecting caterpillars when I was 10 and putting them in jam jars along with their favourite leaves, and seeing what eventually hatched out. Sometimes it was buzzing flies but on one marvellous occasion, it was a Garden Tiger Moth.

4. I saw my first snake, an adder, by a Welsh river on a family holiday. I was fascinated.

5. I once held a Mexican Red Kneed Tarantula in my palm and stroked it. It inspired a poem. It was the softest, downiest creature I've ever stroked.

6. I have a phobia about ants. They make me feel cold, sick, shaky and terrified. It goes back to when I was strapped in my pram in the garden and ants got in and crawled all over me. Ugh!

7. I have done three courses on Animal Communication and successfully reached into the mind of someone's dog, by means of a photo, and told his owner what was wrong with him. Spooky!