Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden

I have been thinking a lot about the Corvid family recently, there are a lot of crows and rooks around my village. I awaken every morning to the sound of the rooks in the rookery. It used to be a much bigger rookery when I first lived here but the old nunnery was converted into apartments and some houses were built in the walled grounds. The builders silently and sneakily cut down some of the magificent trees and the next spring the rookery was only half the size. Though there is another rookery just past my cottage beside the church and that one is now the largest. Sometimes when I am sitting in the garden I watch a buzzard flying high above the rookery causing the rooks grave concern, the noise they set up and the flapping, flying about and the tricks trying to lead the buzzard astray and away from the nestlings are amazing to watch. Another corvid activity I love to observe is what I call the morning display. Behind my cottage and beyond the piece of scrubland is a playing field, early every morning the crows and rooks patrol in a long line up and down this field, they all march to the right and then they turn and all march to the left. They remind me of an army on the parade ground. I presume they are coming and going to search for fat juicy worms that emerge at that time, it's just the way they form up to do it. Occasionally, they are joined by a couple of bold seagulls, although they tend to march in the opposite direction, which makes it quite complicated.


When there used to be a hen run in the scrubland the crows used to all congregate on the posts and wire of the run, casting beady eyes on the hens, or more likely the hen's food because it used to happened when the eggs had been collected and the hens fed and watered. Once in a while a bold crow would flap down towards any food spilt and what a furore that caused with crows cawing, hens squawking. At times the scene did start to resemble a clip from Hitchcock's The Birds. All the same I do find them fascinating birds and wonder if they deserve their dark reputations. I like to think of them as trickster figures, they treat you as they feel at the time, kindly or craftily. Apparently, crows are supposed to be very intelligent.


I'm not a girl who can't cope with spiders, I actually like spiders and have often voiced the opinion that I would quite like a pet one, this was inspired by a family visit to London Zoo, years ago, where I delighted in being able to strok a tarantula.
Now snakes, they are a completely different matter, I am not a fan of snakes, and what has made me think about them is a trailer for a film I keep seeing advertised, about snakes loose on a plane. I used to be quite terrified of them but that changed slightly.

Before Christmas last year I was at a party in the village, my neighbour's son came up to me and said 'Have you met Ace? come and I'll show you him', and he took me into the next room where there lying in a glass tank was a coiled up snake, not an extra large snake or a very fat one just about two feet in length. I looked and backed out the room saying something like 'oh yes very nice'. I did not think much more about it until later when the owner of the house emerged with Ace in his hands and said 'Does anyone want to hold him' A lot of the youndger kids were really keen to have their turn, and then it was my neighbour's son's turn. He turned to show me, I was at the other side of the room and he asked me did I want to stroke it. Taking a gulp of wine I thought well its now or never, went over and tentatively put my hand on the snake's body. Now I know snakes are not cold and slimy and I was prepared for that, in fact it felt of room temperature, but what I had not anticipated was when you touch its body you can feel its muscles sinuously contracting and rippling. Well a quick stroke is all it got, it was not pleasant but it was definitely not terrifying either. I stroked it on one further occasion, at a later date, when my daughter was present as she hates snakes as well. Now, I am not a snake fan and I wouldn't like to hold it nor do I want to seek their company but somehow, I am no longer as terrified as I used to be.


Daisy Fae, prototype No 1 was finally photographed yesterday, so when I get the film back from developing I will be posting her photograph. I am desperate to start making some more, as after making her I know what I want to do to improve her and I have also designed my Lupin Elf, but I have ordered a large amount of proper toy filling and will have to wait for the mailman to deliver it. I am not wasting this time, however, I am cutting out bits and pieces for the Daisy Lupin family, and other soft baby toys and also some felt Christmas ornaments and some brooches I want to make. I am deliriously happy, creating and crafting. I will be decorating the spare room next month and moving all my craft things into there, as the floorboards in the spare room are stained wood, where I am working now is carpeted, and I am such a messy crafter flinging glitter with abandon and snipping and dropping threads that I will be much better off in there, also I will not have to clear up and move everything when visits are imminent.

After talking about my Teddy Robinson, I think I must take a photograph of him in his present state, for all the loving and hugging he has had off me and my children, I think the old bear should have a bit of the limelight.