I’ve been consuming oxygen on this planet for seventy years, but I saw something today I’ve never seen before. A lady who is undoubtedly collecting her pension (or is at least entitled to) was walking her little fluffy black pooch along Blackwater Road. When I spotted her she was bent double, with a hand encased in a biodegradable green pooh bag, stuffed underneath the aforementioned pooch’s squatting bottom as it tried to force out something distinctly smelly. She appeared to catch most of the rather liquid deposit and curiously the four legged friend didn’t seem remotely bothered. I guess if the critter in question allows it, it’s easier and cleaner than trying to wipe it up off the pavement.
I am totally familiar with the delicate art of pooper-scooping as Callie the Whippet seems to produce rather a lot for a relatively small canine. Sadly our top lawn has become a favourite defecation facility for a number of visiting creatures, including the neighbour’s seventeen year old moggy, our resident squirrels and a selection of foxes. I’ve become quite adept at recognising who was responsible for each undesirable pile. Why is it that cats invariably find neighbours’ gardens so much more attractive for conducting their ablutions? Callie derives great pleasure from chasing this one all round the garden but sadly so far it’s managed to avoid her chomping jaws as it takes hastily to the branches, out of reach of imminent danger.
In the past week I’ve had to erect another sixty quid’s worth of wire netting to keep Callie within our perimeter. Having already spent about £400 over the years, I thought I had finally cut off all escape routes, but in the pursuit of Reynard the fox she manages to squeeze through the tiniest spaces. I think that, finally, I have plugged all the gaps, which is not helping our bid to create a mini Kew Gardens, but sometimes utility has to take precedence over aesthetics.
Talking of gardening matters I hope Mrs T has protected the dahlias…..they’re predicting the first frost of the winter tonight. It seems a little early in the piece; whatever happened to Global warming? The news coming out of Cop 26 today appears to confirm that methane is a greenhouse gas of massively destructive proportions. Seems simple to me. Everyone stops eating beef and drinking milk, turn the redundant pastures over to forest and woodland, dramatically reduce the need for polluting tractors and hey presto, it’ll be the second Ice Age before we know it. It’s certainly feeling pretty icy tonight; might need an extra blanket.
ADayInTheStrifeOf 