A cow safari

The temptation to stay indoors gets stronger as the afternoon winds whip up a frenzy.  The cold mornings are increasing as we get closer to the wintry months and the wood fire sits at a low burn on more days than not.  It's hard to tell a Cocker Spaniel that you don't feel like going for a walk today.  He's not real good with taking no for an answer.  In fact, like most dogs they get to know the word 'walk' very well and will pick up on it in any conversation.  We've had to now refer to it as a 'safari' to keep him in the dark.  I spoke to someone recently that had gone from walk, to safari to holiday by the coast, just to keep the dog from working out what was happening, or not.  Today he got his safari.  We walk along a country lane with paddocks either side of us.  A friendly horse friend pokes her head over the fence to see if I remembered to bring that carrot today.  Oops, sorry still in the fridge...next time I promise.  She looks at us both with big black eyes and long eyelashes.  We walk on, and one of us feels a bit bad.  We get to the corner of the lane before turning right.  At the corner paddock gate are the white faced black cows.  They are inquisitive and seem keen to chat to Bennie.  We're often accompanied alongside our walks by cows wondering what sort of a cocker spaniel calf walks on a lead.  Several months back the paddock on the other side was full of young cows with a spring in their step that couldn't get enough of looking at Bennie.  They would come racing towards us with the loud thundering of hooves.  It was a bit concerning for me given the only thing between a large group of boisterous cows and me was a flimsy old wire fence that was now on a forty five degree angle from strong winds and cows leaning over it which could be flattened by not very much at all.  I know living in a rural area you are not supposed to be worried about certain things like spiders, septic tanks and particularly, not scared of cows, but on mass, gee, I'm not so sure.  My dear husband, coming from more legitimate rural stock than I kindly demonstrated later on, who's the superior being by running up to them and saying 'booh' to which they all took off.  All very fine I thought on a later trek knowing you'd only get away with that one for so long.  Fortunately those cows have now gone.  Must have gone to another paddock for better feed, I kid myself.  Time to turn back and return to the fire.  That's all the safari for today.

Does the rat want one sugar with his coffee or ten?

I came inside after feeding the chooks and taking this picture of the many webs on display in the slight glimmer of sun poking through the heavy fog that is now slowly lifting.  Bloody spiders.  I know you're not meant to discriminate but I'm not a fan.  And whilst I'm sure they work hard on the aphid elimination program for my sad looking roses, they really do take liberties.  They extend webs from rose to rose, across branches, paths, gateways and probably highways as well.  Nothing worse than walking through one on dusk.  Queue the mad woman shake and shudder dance.  At this time of year the critters are about during the times that we are.  Possum as he's known, is a permanent member of the household.  He's been a resident here long before we moved in so we figure it's his place too.  He's a big bushy tail and is clearly an old feller who's enjoyed the greater things in life.  If you are in the bathroom when he jumps from the rain water tank to the roof you'd swear a man was about to fall through the ceiling.  We hear him at night in the roof doing the oddest of things. The list of things that go bump in the night here is extensive but at certain times of the year possum can be heard to be undertaking what sounds like some serious renovations in our rafters.  Hammering, moving large fragments of wood...was that a power tool I heard?  Nothing like a DIY possum.

When I came back in after feeding the chooks I fired up the coffee machine and stood by waiting for the little milk frothing light to tell me it's done.  But above the whirring of the Nespresso machine was a scratching in the wall behind the fridge.  Max looks, Bennie growls and then they lose interest.  It can't be Possum, he works night shift.  Most likely at this time of year it's a mouse or a rat.  Bennie has been trying to get his nose under the chooks pen for the last few weeks so I know they are around.  They come out at this time every year.  Fortunately we have two cats in the house...I said, FORTUNATELY WE HAVE TWO CATS IN THE HOUSE THAT CAN...oh, fine keep sleeping.  I'll just have my coffee with the rat.