Rats, Cats and Ruffians in Owl Wood

The hot summer has seen the jungley undergrowth which normally festoons the floor of Owl Wood die back much more quickly than normal.       The withered brown stalks are still there, but even they are collapsing in the unusually hot conditions.     The owl box is vacant once more because it seems that the noisy jackdaws have found somewhere else to live.     It seems strangely quiet in that part of the woodland.

The recent rain and high winds brought down quite a few branches, so when the weather cools down it will be time to begin the early autumn clean-up in there.     Firewood and kindling all there free for the collecting.   It just needs to be sawn, chopped, seasoned and stacked.

When the sun is beating down mercilessly Owl Wood is a great place to take a wander, it is always several degrees cooler than the gardens and far cooler than the golden barley fields.      Some farms have already done much of their harvesting, but our barley field remains a sea of gold.   That could change at any time now.     Farmer T will soon trundle into the field with his big old combine harvester machine and the fun will begin.

Often this heralds the arrival of some very unwelcome visitors, so we all have to be on high alert.   In really bad years it is possible to see whole families of rats and rodents run out of the field and straight into Owl Wood, this is when the cats suddenly begin to earn their sachets of luxury cat food and tins of tuna.    Old Sparky is especially good at rat catching, but we hope that ginger Millie will help a bit more this year.     

Don't be fooled by this relaxed pose, Sparky is a lean, mean, killing machine.   She was born feral and still has all the instincts and fears of a feral cat.    She is relaxed around the immediate family and is putty in the hands of my grandchildren, but that is all.

There are lean pickings for squirrels, this year.   I couldn't find many hazelnuts, but then again, I can't honestly say that we have many squirrels now, either.    Sparky has become adept at catching them, too.      I know that to many people they are simply tree rats with fluffy tails, but I enjoy watching them.

The tree house platform is beginning to look a lot more settled now.    The grandchildren and their friends play endless games on and around there.   The canopy of the trees make for a blissfully cool, sun-dappled escape from the heat of summer, or from the call of the mother for them to tidy their rooms.

It is not unusual to find a swashbuckling pirate in residence, but then again, quite often their games are based on LOTR or Star Wars.    It is a platform for their imagination, as well as an escape.   They put it to good use.

A walk to the far side of the wood shows me that the wild plums are plump and will soon be ready for picking.     Another wonderful seasonal treat.    These mouth-puckeringly tart plums will soon be gently cooked, turned into wild plum coulis, and eaten with bowls of cool and creamy Greek yogurt.  The year is moving on.