A Wallaby and a Hedgehog..

Whilst I was posting the picture of the Hedgepig yesterday evening, he returned by the back door. Ms M kindly gave him a plate of cat biscuits, and Wallaby Cat thinking it rude to leave our guest eating alone joined in.

Frank the hunter....

Frank the ginger cat thinks he is in Heaven since moving to the Dales, the rest of the wildlife think Satan has moved to the village.

After all his constant whining in the car for the entire 6 hour journey up I hope he can now agree I only had his best interests at heart.... and if he doesn't - well we are NEVER moving again, that journey was pure hell, for the entire length of the M1 I was trying to think of ways I could strap him to the roof to get away from his shouting. Such a small cat can really produce an incredible sound.

Since our arrival in the winter months Frank still found plenty of birds and small mammals to kill. But now spring has arrived many new unsuspecting animals are being born and Frank can simply take his pick. So far he has brought in - Birds (the rarer the better it would seem), Shrews, Mice, Voles, and Frogs.

However one early summery morning last week he brought in something new, the story goes something like this: -
It's early morning. The birds are twittering and there is the faint distant sound of the cows mooing their way to the milk shed.
Master Melancholy's voice is calm but slightly uncertain: "Mum ... there's a decapitated rabbit on the bath mat."
He doesn't sound surprised.
Ms M: "Ok, don't worry ... I'm getting up ... get on with getting ready and I'll wake Badger to clear it up."
Master Melancholy: "I can't. I can't be in there. It's staring at me."
Ms M (slightly irritated): "How can it be staring at you if it's decapitated?"
Master Melancholy: "Its head is sitting next to its body."

Upon entering the bathroom as brave as any early rising Badger could be I did the blurry eye trick* and dealt with the mess young Frank had left us. We started to wonder what on earth he could bring in next. And then we found out the very next afternoon.

It all began with Ruby behaving most strangely, whining in an extremely unusual fashion. She is sitting at the bathroom door, seriously unsettled. Then Frank is spotted sitting proudly on the bath mat, guarding the curled up body of a weasel.
What next!? Will he drag a small lamb in from the fields? I have already seen him stalking pheasants that are 3 times his size

*The blurry eye trick is perfect for dealing with anything that makes you feel sick. You simply defocus your eyes so the subject that you are dealing with is not so,... ummm in your face and deal accordingly. It can be used for all manner of pet offences.

Cat friendly Pub...

It would seem that our local village pub is not only dog friendly but it also cat friendly.

Last night, young Frank followed me to the pub, its not far, maybe 200 yards. Now normally he would potter off home once seeing me off inside safely.

However last night he was insistent that he too wished to come in. He spent the first half hour embarrasing me by mieowing at the door like some sort of deranged animal. He was so loud that everyone in the pub could hear him shouting. In the end the landlady said I should let him in, so in he came and sat next to me while I finished my pint. We then trotted home together. Bless him, Frank the pub cat.

While I am here I would also like to mention my secret magic place I have found in the village. It is up a beck and no one goes there, especially not tourists as it is not a footpath and some what of a hairy climb in places to get to it, but as I rounded the corner I found this opening and I could picture myself lying here in the summer, next to the river (which is, as you will see some what a dry river in this picture), but I shall come here and watch the wildlife and read my books. On my walk up I saw a Kestrel tormenting a Tawny Owl, I saw Lapwings and lots and lots of Rabbits.