Sunset from Hill House, Mount Helen. February 2024

Wednesday, November 05, 2014

Morning excitements in the garden

The Builder was bringing in the bins this morning when he heard a commotion out the back.  He went to investigate. And found there was a young-ish fox in Marina and Dean's garden trying to get at their chooks.  Indeed, the fox very nearly succeeded. He bashed in the gate to their run and took off after the chooks.

The Builder yelled, and the fox positively flew over the fence ... into OUR poultry run!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Builder, in his slippers (he hadn't bothered to put proper shoes on just to bring in the bins), rushed down, flung open the gate, rushed into the muddy, muddy poultry run and chased the fox (which had designs on our ducks and chickens, now it had found them) away.  It jumped over the fence and into the field at the back. And then made its way back into our garden, up the path, and out onto the street through the channel we have between our porch and next door's fence so that Marlo can come and go!

Marina's chickens, our chickens and our ducks were not in the least bit impressed with the incursion of a fox into their ordered lives.  I don't think that we or Marina are very impressed either.  The Builder and I have seen foxes occasionally in the fields and out and about but no sign that they were in the least bit interested in our garden - not since The Builder blocked up the gap in the fence between our garden and the field well before we got the very first lot of chickens. Marina says she saw it come out of our driveway and head towards the farm.  I fear that it is not going to forget that there are chickens and ducks residing in Bridge Street. The Builder is going to get some battens and some wire and raise the height of the fences around the orchard, but that's not going to be done in a hurry.  In the meantime we are going to have to put the ducks and chooks to bed at night.  This won't be an issue with the chooks but the ducks might not be quite so biddable. And I am not at home this evening to help :-D

It might be time to buy The Builder a new pair of slippers.  He had been thinking about doing this and I think his mind has now been made up!

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