The first frosty night is always a bit of an event for me, presaging winter for real. So, when I saw a light dusting of rime on the fallen leaves this morning, a small shiver ran down my spine. But now it is quite glorious: brilliant blue sky and the few leaves still on the acer blazing like a bonfire.
Yesterday I had an "if only I had a video camera" moment*. One of the pheasants had flown up onto the bird table to see what was left, and surprised a squirrel about to try his luck with the peanut feeder. They faced each other off for ten or twenty seconds, then the squirrel lunged forwards and frightened the bird away. Priceless!
* The only other time was when I visited Chancer (the pony) in the field one summer's day, and he was fast asleep on his side in the sunshine, dreaming. Did you know that horses dream, just like cats and dogs? His eyeballs were rolling under the eyelids, hooves twitching, tail swishing, and lips wrinkling. Dogs dream of chasing rabbits; cats dream of catching mice: what do horses dream of? Being chased by predators, probably. Like most prey animals, they live in a state of perpetual alertness, if not controlled fear.
12/11/07 @ 12:53