.....nothing really new...chasing Whoopie

Still feeling full of cold today, but it has been warm and fairly sunny, so it seemed a crime not to be outside all day. I took Meg and William for their long walk this morning ( the Scotties have a shorter walk afterwards, as they just can't keep up) and we did a big circular walk around the Gop and Trelawnyd's sister village Llanasa. Above is one of the beautiful estate cottages of Llanasa's Golden Grove,it is Chris and my fantasy place to live as it literally looks as though it has been plucked from the 1900's
Although it does not look like it, the warm weather has brought the entire village out into a hive of activity. Lawns have been mowed,cars washed and jobs completed,so despite still feeling like shit, I have enjoyed being outside.

As I was dettol spraying the interior of the coops (it keeps away the dreaded red mite), I heard a big commotion from the hen run, fearing the attacking dog again,I looked up to see a rather excited Whoopie Goldberg with a large field mouse in her beak. She was holding it by the tail and was weaving in and out of the grass tussocks with most of the other girls in close pursuit. The mouse was squealing loudly, and although I have watched the hens dispatch many small rodents I felt suddenly very sorry for this little chap, who was making so much noise. Whoopie galloped twice around the enclosure in an effort to find a quiet spot on which to eat her prize, but the other hens would not leave her alone, so like the big bloody jessie that I am , I lumbered after her swinging a small cleaning brush I had been using to disinfect the hen house. This Benny Hill-type chase carried on for a while, Whoopie, the me , then a score of hungry looking hens all running around in circles. with a small rodent screaming loudly all the while.

Finally I outwitted the hens (hello??? not hard) and did a short cut around the coops, where I gave a rather surprised Whoopie a softish kick up the butt. She immediately dropped the poor mouse which dived under the hen house and to safety.

Now I hadn't seen a couple of old ladies from the village watching me from the Churchyard, and bugger know what they thought I had been up so, after waving at them in a slightly embarrassed way, I got on with my jobs.

Hens are not the sweet little animals most people think they are. At times they are focused and relentless predators. Knowing that there was a mouse under their hen house, the birds systematically and patiently stalked it, like lions after an antelope. I didn't witnessed the kill, I just didn't have time to watch them, but I have no doubt that the poor little chap ended up being scoffed