Last week we had some rather dramatic weather, with two named storms hitting the UK — Austen and Boelo. Austen didn’t seem to affect us too much, but Boelo brought some very strong winds. Once again, this meant that Nostell was closed over the weekend.
Hopefully, the rain we had will improve the soil conditions at the allotment and make it a little more manageable. That is, unless all the strong winds we’ve been having dry it out as quickly as the rain has moistened it!
The week also involved another hospital visit, although this one was far less dramatic than those in the previous week — thank goodness.
We didn’t do any gardening, but we did manage to dodge the rain and take Ruby on several autumn walks.
In the Garden
We are still putting out food for the hedgehogs and foxes, but we’ve started to have a bit of a problem.
I’ve been using two pet bowls to put the food in. Last week, one of the bowls disappeared. The trail camera wasn’t set up to record what was happening, so I initially assumed that one of the foxes had simply moved the dish while trying to eat.
We searched the garden but couldn’t find it anywhere.
The second dish was much heavier, so I assumed that would be safe. I was wrong!
Last week, that one disappeared too. This time, we caught a little of the action on the trail camera. One of the foxes picked up the dish and carried it out of shot, so I’m assuming it made off with it.
It’s rather silly, really, as it means I now have no dishes to put the food in. We’ll have to think of another solution, as there’s no point sacrificing any more bowls if the foxes are simply going to take them away.
I’m not sure what they can possibly want with an empty dish, unless they think it might be useful to take back to their den. Perhaps they are collecting crockery!
I’ve also been keeping an eye on social media and the lost and found cats group on Facebook to see whether the little cat that has taken up residence in our garden has been reported missing.
As nothing had turned up, I decided to post on the group myself to ask whether anybody recognised the cat.
I did receive a response from the group’s moderator, who said they had someone who could come round and try to find out whether the little cat was microchipped.
We’ve arranged for her to visit, so now we just need to make sure the cat is around when she comes to scan it.
Out and About
The week started with another hospital visit, this time to check on the progress of my finger.
I had an appointment at the plastics dressing department at 9 o’clock and was seen quite quickly. The dressing was removed and, as the wound from the surgery had dried up quite nicely, it was decided that I would only need a small dressing to keep everything clean.
I was told that I would have another ten days before the hospital finally discharged me, so that if I had any problems during that time I could simply go back.
I had also been asked to decide whether I needed physiotherapy for my finger. However, the exercises I had been doing seemed to have done the trick, so I decided that this wasn’t necessary.
For the past few days, whilst I’ve been in the house, I’ve left the dressing off completely to allow the wounds to get some air and hopefully help them to heal.
This has been good news for Martyn, as he is no longer the sole cook in the household and hasn’t had to wash my hair again!
Temple Newsam
It would have been very easy not to have gone to Temple Newsam on Monday, as the day started off wet and the clouds threatened rain for much of the time.
However, we decided to dress for the weather and risk taking Ruby for her walk.
We thought that at least she might get a game of Chase, which is her favourite.
In the event, the rain held off and we were able to enjoy the autumnal colours.
There was no doubt that the autumn display was beginning to look rather lovely, and it was good to get out and enjoy it. I hope the recent strong winds haven’t spoiled it.
Nostell
We had an afternoon out at Nostell.
With the cattle having been moved out of the meadow, we were able to complete our usual walk. This takes us through a wooded area and then out across the meadow before returning to the main lake.
We don’t like entering fields that contain cattle, as cattle and dogs often don’t mix very well.
For the past week or two, we’ve only seen two young swans on the lake, so I wonder whether the others have already left and set out on their own.
The resident pair of swans don’t tolerate the youngsters once they are preparing to breed again, and the male will chase them away.
It will be interesting to see whether any of the young swans return or whether they have now moved on to find somewhere else to settle. Young swans often join larger groups of non-breeding birds, so perhaps they’ve headed off somewhere like Clumber Park.
They still have a few years before they are ready to breed. During this time, they will gradually find a mate, establish a pair bond and eventually find their own territory. Swans generally don’t start breeding until they are around four or five years old.
We ended the walk with another game of Chase for Ruby. She becomes really excited whenever we approach one of the areas where she knows she is likely to have a game. This time she wasn’t disappointed!
Finally
It was another week when the weather dictated what we could do, but we still managed to enjoy some autumn walks and a little good news from the hospital.
The garden has provided its own entertainment, although the foxes seem to have developed an unfortunate interest in our crockery!
We also have the mystery of the little cat to solve, and hopefully we’ll soon find out whether it belongs to someone.
With the autumn colours beginning to show, Ruby enjoying her games of Chase and the prospect of getting back to some gardening when the weather allows, there is still plenty to look forward to.
And will we ever discover what the foxes are doing with all those dishes?
As always, until next time, stay safe and stay well.
Don’t forget to check out Martyn’s diary page
How funny about the foxes taking the bowls, I’ve never heard of that before!
Yes, the Autumn colours have arrived but some trees are bare after those strong gusts.
Ruby looks so happy in that last photo – sweet!
Apparently, it is something they do regularly, Belinda
Well your foxes aren’t very smart taking their food bowls. Maybe they will bring them back when they realized food doesn’t magically appear. Temple New Sam is really pretty. I enjoyed all of the photos. I cannot believe you had so much trouble with that cat bite. I sure hope you are ok. What trouble. Be careful when you check it for a chip.
The cat bite was my fault, Bonnie. The cat was just trying to get a treat out of my hand. I thought it would do it like a dog would. She’s really a gentle little thing.The finger is on the mend now, thank goodness.