Aggravating, demanding, ungrateful, imperious, soft, cuddly, affectionate, head-butting, mouse-watching, bird-ignoring, permanently-shedding, yoghurt-loving, carpet-destroying, crisp-munching, sun-adoring, desk-hogging, cardboard-clawing, fountain of pee. Good-bye my friend Smudge.
Frosty mornings are back.
The sparrow and chaffinch kids have flown the nest. The adults disappeared during their moult too but are gradually reappearing.
Someone else is back. Can you see him?
He’s very busy stocking up on sunflower seeds for the winter.
Over and over again he jumps down onto the step,
gallops across to the rowan tree, too quick for the camera to catch.
He roots among the discarded sunflower husks under the feeders looking for seeds that have been tossed aside by my wastrel birds.
He stuffs his cheeks and heads back for his burrow.
He seems unaware that he is being closely monitored and not just by me. A well camouflaged Grande Dame hides in the grass above the step. She watches but she doesn’t pounce. Maybe October isn’t the mousing season,
or maybe two mice are too much for ole fatso to handle.
Mr and Mrs working together.
I have visions of them curled up together in January, sleeping on their mound of sunflower seeds, mouse treasure more valuable than a dragon’s hoard.
