fox

by Alice Oswald I heard a coughas if a thief was thereoutside my sleepa sharp intake of aira fox in her fox-furstepping acrossthe grass in her black glovesbarked at my housejust so abrupt and oddthe way she wenthungrily askingin the heart’s thick accentin such serious sleeplesstrespass she camea woman with a man’s voicebut no nameasContinue reading “Fox”

Poor old Hopalong has to get round on three legs but his tail’s fine

While our hedgehogs have been hibernating, hopefully among the woodpiles scattered round the garden (remnants of the vicious hedging which used to run along one edge), I have been concentrating more on our foxes and one in particular has been causing me worries. I noticed him at the beginning of November a ragged-tailed fox who seemedContinue reading “Poor old Hopalong has to get round on three legs but his tail’s fine”

A busy little hedgehog needs his entrances and his exits

One of the most important things you need if you want to make your garden hedgehog friendly is an easy route to get in and out. Hedgehogs can go a long way in a night, setting out at dusk and hoping to be home by dawn. They will sometimes follow a set route but willContinue reading “A busy little hedgehog needs his entrances and his exits”

Ferdinand the Fearless, a vulpine visitor known affectionately as BB

You have met Francesca the Fearful, now let me introduce you to her male counterpart (I have assigned their sexes based on my observations and could easily be wrong) Ferdinand the Fearless. As you will see he is not your typical image of a fox with an elegant bushy tail – which is why heContinue reading “Ferdinand the Fearless, a vulpine visitor known affectionately as BB”

Francesca the fearful – a fidgety fox

Having wildlife in your garden is a delight beyond compare even if some only come out at night, when nobody is around. A couple of years ago we guessed we had something other than local cats using our garden as a highway. Naturally, our first thought was hedgehog and a dusting of flour soon provedContinue reading “Francesca the fearful – a fidgety fox”

Let’s get back to nature

No, I’m not suggesting we shuck off our threads and get back to the way nature intended us to be. My hippy days are long gone and I wouldn’t want to scare the horses. I really do mean getting back to nature and helping out the wildlife at the same time. Marion has always beenContinue reading “Let’s get back to nature”

Time Runs Backward After Death

by Robert Bly b. 1926 Minnesota Samson, grinding bread for widows and orphans, Forgets he is wronged, and the answers The Philistines wrangled out of him go back Into the lion. The bitter and the sweet marry. He himself wronged the lion. Now the wheat Caresses the wind with its wifely tail; the donkey RunsContinue reading “Time Runs Backward After Death”