Talk to the Animals

This is the 'bun on the run' I wrote about last time, on the first day of his bid for freedom.

As you can see, although he is eating an apple core i threw out for the blackbirds, he is fairly fat.

By the time he was captured and returned to his not overly concerned owners, he was thin and bedraggled looking.

This evening I  have been pulling up tons of forget-me-not which have been making my nearly impenetrable jungle even more so.

Stupidly, I left the back door open.  I know, asking for trouble, and it arrived, in the form of Hercules the red terror of a previous post.

He is a beautiful, well-fed, ginger cat friendly and well-behaved around humans, but an evil predatory killer of all feathered things.  So, generally speaking I do not welcome his presence, particularly during the breeding season.  He has single-handedly, so to speak, polished of about a third of the local bird population and has the even more charming habit of leaving their feathers, beaks etc. in my next-door-neighbours garden.

As you may imagine he is not the most popular animal on the planet and I chased him away from the area I was working in and then forgot about him.

Having done about 20 minutes hard weeding I'd had enough and headed back indoors.  As I did so Hercules shot out of the kitchen and fled,

Heart in mouth I pelted upstairs and yes, of course, there is a lovely set of muddy footprints right across my pale pink duvet.  (Bless his little heart - which, if I catch him - I may just cook  and eat)!

It is my own fault for leaving the door open, and I do love all cats - well most cats - I will make an exception in his case.

Later this year I am hoping that my lovely Iconographer friend Constantina, will begin on an Icon of St Francis for me, details to be discussed.

Famed for his love of all God's creatures, I can't help wondering what he would have made of Hercules.