Woody's Escape

It was a beautiful tranquil morning, the sun already shining, patio doors wide open with the faint hint of a breeze wafting in. I'd just seen daughter off to school so I settled down with a fresh cup of tea and began what precious moments of Open University study I can snatch.

Suddenly there was a commotion in the garden, lots of movement and what sounded like a frantic flapping of wings. Sparrowhawk, I thought! Fleeing into the garden, there I saw a cat gripping a woodpigeon by its wing. I'd been watching the woodpigeon pecking peacefully for bits of grain earlier on. Waving my Open University unit wildly and spluttering expletives, the cat darted off and Woody flew to safety.

During the encounter the woodpigeon left behind quite a few feathers..... some large wing feathers and lots of little downy ones. I wanted to immediately clear away the visible signs of the violent scene..... but I needed a cup of tea first! Sitting with my cuppa I felt glad that Woody had had a lucky escape and hoped that he would recover well . Looking out at the garden I saw that the sparrows were taking advantage of the incident...... there they were flying off with beakfulls of fluffy feathers to refurbish their nests! Just as well I didn't dispose of them.

Here is the very unit that helped to save Woody's life! :D

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Bon Voyage Harry!

Today is a special day because Baby Harry has taken his first steps (or slithers) into the big wide world. Here are some photos he posed for this morning.

This illustrates his size. I said I'd release him when he grew to the size of a nasturtium seed but, as you can see, I put it off until he reached the size of a pea.

Here he is chomping on a fresh dandelion leaf

Hi there big boy!

At half-past eight tonight Charlotte and I said our goodbyes to Harry and took his jar from the shed into the garden. Whispering a short prayer, we released him on to a cherub statuette under the Angelica. We decided to let him go in the evening while it was cool and damp. As the saying goes, the world is now his oyster...... or the garden at least, full of abundant greens and minerals. From the tiny dot I first encountered on my kitchen worktop, it was wonderful to see him skimming over the surface of the cherub like Stirling Mollusc...... way to go Harry!

To all the humble beasts there be,
To all the birds on land and sea,
Great Spirit sweet protection give,
That free and happy they may live!

John Galsworthy