Along with number one and number three granddaughter I tried tree hugging last week. Number one said she could hear the tree moving (no spiritual messages there), number three at six probably thought we were both mad but was too polite to say so and I found the bark horrendously uncomfortable, it being a very old tree. So not a huge success but perhaps we need practice. Hopefully the tree enjoyed the experience.

Update on the urban fox.
He's been back a few times this week but mostly at night as the weather has been wet and windy. He comes up the street at about 10.00pm each evening and works his way around the gardens. This morning he brought a girlfriend back at 5.20am! They were making moaning noises on my back lawn and I thought they had captured something to eat but they disappeared quick as lightning when I drew back the curtains to investigate.

I'm hoping they wont mate as I've experienced a garden full of cubs all pooing into the one flower pot!! Not pretty.

The Blue Butterfly

When I was a child living in the country in England one of my delights was to catch butterflies and keep them in a jam jar for observation. I spent many hours hunting with my butterfly net and had many a success with most species but the blue butterfly was the one I coveted most because of its distinct colour.I thought of this with shame when we were told that this beautiful thing was now extinct, not because of my work with the net of course but I did feel some way responsible.

Imagine my delight when I saw one in my garden two weeks ago whilst bug hunting with my grandchildren. Not for us the net, just the eyes, but the excitement was still the same. So I am sharing that with you. Only a little thing, nothing exotic, but beautiful in it's colour and not least its survival.

THE URBAN FOX

He’s there again, in his usual place basking in the winter sun,
His body in the warm earth, his slender legs stretched over the path,
Ears erect to catch the slightest sound, heart beating fast ready for flight.
How beautiful he is, how peaceful,
So as one with my garden yet so out of place.
oOo
I knew you before wee fox when you and I were country bound
We stood eye to eye in my garden with the sound of the hunt behind.
Two huge stallions with riders astride came crashing into
my garden then
With their superior strength and their lust for blood they sought to drive you to your end.
They were very big and I felt small but I saw them off with a fishwife’s call
And no thought as to how I might sound
oOo
Now the winter sun is dipping below the Downs

and the air is growing cool,
He wakes and prepares himself to leave.
He stretches languorously, stands unsteadily and yawns.
He has seen me but for a few brief seconds he doesn’t run and
In that moment he and I share a common bond, an understanding.
He turns without haste and leaves, but he will be back,
For he is one with my garden and I can share the space.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

'Well, here I am', I thought, 'thanks to my granddaughter I now have a Blog'. Four hours later and my mind is not wrestling with "how do I do it?" but "what do I do with it?" I think of all my favourite places (photographs of to load) and all the things I have done in my rather long and eventful life. 'Wow. Plenty to keep me going for years!'

And then I thought of the above phrase "Under Construction" which pops up when a site is being updated 'That's it, eureka! I'll put that on and it will give me time to get it right'. But then I thought 'that's me, even at my exalted age I am still under construction. The facia is in need of some renovation but the foundations are still strong and there's a heck of a lot going on in the attic!'

This applies to us all, we are all under construction from the minute we are born and if we are lucky it will always remain this way. So I look forward to reading all your other blogs and hopefully some of you will read mine. Who knows I may need that attic extension yet!