Monday, January 17, 2022

Surreal.


Our pre-six am 'comfort break' tour of the garden illuminated by a nearly full moon shimmering down from a cold sky onto a frost covered lawn. The lawn looks surreal - like something out of a Grant Wood painting . Two metal garden chairs positioned on the edge of the ridge shine as if they're reflecting the mid day sun. I catch a glimpse of the local fox. He's  large and dark brown. A big boy. More like a young Labrador than a fox but with pointy ears and a vivid white flash on his tail. He's wily and sure of himself. A natural king of the valley. Sometimes I see  him sauntering through the fields when I walk Sophie down to the stream. He walks with a cocky insouciance that tells you he and his ilk have been here for ever and will be here when we're long gone. He, above all, is the reason I don't like the hunters. Sophie, is of course, oblivious to his presence.

I turn on the torch to find out where my companion is. Comfort restored she's by my side telling me to open the gate and commence our tour of the village.


The Christmas decorations outside the church are still illuminated and giving off seasonal cheer. They must, surely, come down this week.


By the time we've had breakfast and made it down to the river the sun is peeping above the horizon. As it rises it burns off the frost and we find ourselves enveloped in a swirling mist. Sophie stands and stares at two audacious cormorants . The birds are roosting on one of the pontoons that's been swept away by the recent floods onto a sandbank. The small sailboat that was there a couple of days ago has gone. It goes without saying that the cormorants are completely untroubled by Sophie's presence.


The floods have left a trail of detritus along the concrete slipway. This is minutely examined by Sophie for anything edible. Who knows ? There maybe some putrefying fish. I tell my furry companion to hurry along but this morning she is suffering from clinical deafness. I say the word ' treats!' and she bounds towards me - clinical deafness immediately, and miraculously, cured.


Pandemic living may be slow but it has its rewards. Today the 'Prince of Foxes' and the aristocratic cormorants top the list of gifts.



10 comments:

Lisa in France said...

"Aristocratic" is a good work for cormorants. I don't think I ever saw one before moving to Japan, but my first office in Tokyo overlooked the Imperial Moat, where I could watch the cormorants fishing all day - fun to watch where they went underwater and where they came up, often quite far away. Then they would perch up on the bridge with their wings spread wide in the sun to dry. In Japanese, they are "u," which is unusually short - my husband says that is because they are so ancient. I have never seen that explanation in writing anywhere, but I choose to believe it.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
There is something Turneresque about the sunrise photos today. Sublime. YAM xx

WFT Nobby said...

More stunningly atmosphere photos today. The ones of the river in the swirling mist are wonderful. Although Bertie is only interested in learning if Sophie's hunt for putrifying fish was successful, and if so, did she eat said fish, roll in it, or both?

Coppa's girl said...

Can only echo Gail's comments today - the photos are stunningly atmospheric. Inca is interested, just as Bertie is, to know if there were any putrefying fish, and did Sophie get chance to sample it before she was "encouraged" on!
We admire Angus' optimism that the Christmas Decorations will come down this week. Why bother - it will soon be Easter!

Angus said...

'The Font' returned a few minutes ago from a walk with Sophie and observed that the wreath from the Armistice Day ceremony is still on the War Memorial steps.

sillygirl said...

Interesting about your fox - I just read the book, Fox & I - enjoyed reading about having a "relationship" with a wild animal.

Travel said...

Amazing light this morning, most people missed it. Our neighborhood fox is looking thin and unwell. She has been here a long long time, like many of my neighbors, at 12 years I am still the new guy

10NISNE1 said...

The photos are fantastic!

rottrover said...

Like Impressionist paintings. Lovely. And yes, because Eric Garrett has managed Los Angeles's problems so effectively, he's off to be the Ambassador to India.

rottrover said...

WOW!! Blogger didn't eat my comment!! Ever since my operating system updated in December I have been unable to comment from my desktop computer. Apparently my laptop is unaffected!! Belated season's greetings from Otto and Osa, strength and steadiness to TOF, and regarding yesterday's Bosch appliance to clean smelly clothes, I wonder if It works for stinky dogs?!? Oh, I'm so pleased to be able to correspond; like others, your blog is a morning ritual! BTW, it's Garcetti, auto correct, not Garrett. HI SOPHIE!!