Antiseptic hand gel has reappeared in the little 24 hour store. A pantechnicon delivered an enormous supply of the stuff which is stacked, carton upon carton, by the sliding entry doors. 'The Font' presumes there has been a mistake in the order as the woman behind the checkout counter says 'You can take as many as you want. They're not rationed '. This may not be exactly what's been said as the cashier's wearing a face mask that's rather too tight fitting to make her instructions entirely comprehensible.
Still raining. The wisteria battered, the roses too.
The Moorhen family are not willing to be photographed a second time. They do however keep up their cheerful chirruping. Sophie glares at the pond.
The grey skies don't stop us from heading down to the little waterfall. The stream has been supercharged after three days of rain. Sophie has a lengthy drink and fishes half heartedly ( and inpetly ) for minnows in the water. The local farmer has set up his bird scarer to stop the Magpies from eating his soft fruit. The bird scarer makes an angry ' boom boom' noise every two or three minutes. Sophie doesn't like angry noises. We return home quickly. Her executive decision of the day.
How to tell a Coot and a Moorhen apart : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWyHc7GDjY
Adults in the room : https://play.acast.com/s/talkingpolitics/014b669b-ef55-4530-b89d-6ba9a7c2a13a
10 comments:
Cherry does not like angry noises, either. We had one big thunderclap last weekend, and she hid under the covers for an hour. I can never decide whether this makes sense in a herding breed that would need to protect their flock in a lightning storm or if it is aberrational - I am rather skeptical that Cherry would actually stick around to see what's happened to any sheep in her charge. The coot vs. moorhen link was oddly soothing, although now I feel I would like to see a coot, with that striking white beak. I listened to the first five minutes or so of the other link and realized it merits focused attention, so I will come back to it this evening. It is good to know about this series. Twitter is lots of fun and the news is a constant distraction, but we are living through an important moment in history and I've been thinking it's about time to take on some more serious thinking about what it may all mean in the longer term.
Was the coot-or-moorhen video sent to you, or was it a result of hours of Internet sleuthing?
The video's narrator makes clear her preference. After ridiculing coots for their short tails, big feet and aggressive courting, she describes moorhen as "elegant," with a "smart" line of white feathers, and a tail that tapers more gracefully than the blunt-bottomed coot's.
Happily the little village is blessed with a smart, elegant moorhen family, and not with mere coots.
Based on Sophie's courage when faced with horses or cows I think she'd jump out of her skin if she ever met a sheep. As for the second link the commentators say it as they see it without any distortion or agenda.
The video was discovered by The Font in an incisive move to determine once and for all the difference between a Coot and a Moorhen. The old mayor knew exactly what it was. Seems the moorhen family have been nesting there for as long as he's been around - in other words prior to the last war.
Hari OM
Gel is all good and well - but nothing substitutes for good old soap and water. Sophie, this hyooman is very unfond of loud bangs too... YAM xx
I can't believe I'm writing this, but we really could do with some of that rainfall in Aberdeen. I don't think its rained here in over a month.
Oh and thanks for clearing up the coot/moorhen question once and for all!
Cheers, Gail
Inca, too, is spooked by noises, no matter what their source. Even another dog barking will make her lower her head and slink away. Not much use as a guard dog either - she'd give welcoming licks to any intruder.
Look forward to perusing the Coot/Moorhen video at my leisure - I don't think we have either here.
Hailey would also hate that noise.
Sophie, we hope you were back home safely after getting out of there as quickly as possible. We are getting some rain here now and we needed some for our garden. Thanks for the share. Have a fantastic rest of your day.
World of Animals
Completely understand the shortened walk. Boom boom noises are not appreciated or ignored here either.
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