Animal Magic

Hello! We've just come back from walking the doggies on the beach.

Three dogs, rather than our usual two, because we're looking after Cuddy, my Parents-in-Law Jack Russell dog.

Douglas gets very competitive and tries to out run Cuddy. Douglas is a Miniature Dachshund, with wee legs, and Cuddy is a super strong highly energetic running machine, so Douglas has no hope of winning any race he conjures up in his mind.

So when Cuddy decided to spend some of his never-ending energy swimming in the river (and it looked like he was doing it just for the exercise!), Douglas decided to go in and save him.

Douglas doesn't have the same strength as Cuddy, so there was a dramatic moment when Douglas went under, came up again, and Hugo stepped into the water, in shoes and jeans, well beyond his ankles, and fished the little fella out.

It's been a day of animal encounters.

Auntie Anne returned from walking the dogs this morning, to say that she'd found three Sparrow chicks huddled on a pavement next to the road, just about to sprawl into the road. So she ushered them onto the doorstep of the Methodist church, and said she'd left them huddled together on the step.

She was fretting about them, so I said I'd go and check on them.

There they were! And I just happened to have taken my camera along with me!

I worried about them too, undecided as to whether I should call our local rescue centre.

I decided to go back to see them again, but when I re-traced my steps half an hour later, they had gone.

I'm hoping someone had moved them into the walled garden near by, and that their parents were busy feeding them.

There's also a chick, in a nest in our attic. To cut a long story short, the nest was blocking the gutter, and we've had a couple of leaks. So we both went up into the attic, after getting back from the drama on the beach with Douglas, and there is one teeny chick (too big to be a Sparrow chick, I think it might be a Blackbird) all on it's own poor thing. No feathers on it. The nest has been moved out of the drainage channel, to one side, hopefully the mother can get in to feed the chick now. When the chick has fledged, hopefully we can prevent any more nest building in our attic.

Anyway, Hugo's back with a takeway, no cooking tonight. Hopefully there will be no more animal dramas today.

Isn't the beach beautiful, above? That's how we left it earlier.

Have a good weeknd. Cheerio! Love Vanessa xxx

Comments

[kate is greedy]

The expression on Douglas's face is so funny - I love how he would like to be windswept and interesting but comes across as bedraggled and slightly sheepish. I am sure there is yet another children's story in there for you. Thanks so much for the photos of the baby birds. Hugo's teacher has a tree in her classroom which she decorates each season and it has a nest in it. I gave her some crochet eggs to pop in the nest and now she is very keen on having a mother bird as well (she is also keen on some teeny tiny baby birds at some stage too...). Your birds are such a great shape to copy. I will be staring vacantly at this photo a lot... I love how they have a slight look of Winston Churchill about them. I think it is their mouth ( I mean beak). Have a great weekend, love Kate xxooxx.

[June]

Lovely posting. Hope those little sparrow chicks found their mum and dad! I think Douglas is a cool dude!
June

[Janet Brown]

Oh sweet little Douglas - I do have a soft spot for the little chappie as my dad is called Douglas too!!! Ha ha!!! Just wondered if you have a photo of Cuddy - he sounds like a real character! Every year we have nests of starlings in our guttering/loft but always seem to remember about them when its too late and we are woken up in the early hours by baby birds cheeping away!!!

[Flavie]

How cute are those chicks?!! I have a few pics of "our" great tit chicks on my blog but they are decidedly (younger and) uglier!Still, they'd melt anyone's heart! Hope yours are now safe and sound.

[Sandi Lee]

What a cute Douglas you have there, I hope he was clean and dry by the time you got home. The chicks are very sweet and I too would have been a bit worried about them too.
x Sandi

[Frances]

Vanessa, I love that animal magic that you have shared with us. Isn't it terrific to just take the time to see how our fellow animals enjoy their lives, and perhaps have some drama at the very beginning of those lives.

Best wishes to those street wise (?) sparrows, and to the mystery chick in your attic.

xo

[Teresa Kasner]

Oh dear Vanessa, Douglas looks so cute, wet and cold, good thing his owners saved him and warmed him. Poor baby birds.. they are missing from a nest.. did you look for an empty nest above?

I do hope you pop over to my blog.. I met a TV star yesterday and have photos of her! :-) Teresa

[Jenni at Baa-me Kniits]

Poor Douglas, trying to keep up with a JRT is hard work (and I should know ;-) ) Lucky Hugo was there to step into the breach. My MIL has a short haired dachshund and she tries valiantly to keep up with my pack of JR's, she goes home exhausted. Darling little 'spuggys' so cute :-)

[Carol]

Lovely photos, wonderful beach.
A little sparrow flew into our window earlier, I rushed out, it was on its side but legs moving, picked it up, stroked it gently, it revived, put it carefully in hawthorn bush, it moved into centre and its Mum shouted "thank you".
Carol xx

[Vintage Squirrel]

Yesterday I took a sparrow out of our wood burning stove in the kitchen. There is also a deceased bird in the sitting room stove and I have no idea how long it has been there. This morning I had to let a bird out of the bedroom......just what is going on?!!
Katie x

[Catherine]

How cute! We have a couple of nests around the house with little chicks in them! How much noise they can make! We love it though! Cx

[Alice and Raymond!!!]

Awww Douglas looked so gorgeous all wet in a towel, Hugo is such a hero rescuing him from the water.
I love dogs that love to swim! It cracks me up, we had a black lab for years and years who loved to swim anywhere, anytime.
Have a lovely rest of your weekend! its stormy and horrible here, so I'm going to fill my hottie and go back to bed with my book!
Joy!
XXXXX

[The Muse of The Day]

With the onset of warmer weather the sun has been shifting back to it's rightful summer place directly west. This means longer days (finally) for us, but also an "extension of the sky" for the birds- they see a different reflection in our large west facing windows and think the sky continues. Although it is fascinating to be able to study a bird up close, the drama of a bird taking it's last few breaths is heart wrenching. I'm not sure if my bird story really should be added to your bird story, but I shared it anyways. Your last photo makes me stare out my window and reflect on just how much I miss the beach. I miss it. A lot. Carolina

[kazzy]

beautiful crafted creations, illustrations and knitting- very much enjoying your blog ;0)x

[felicity]

oh those little chicks are so sweet, i love your dress from your previous post too, it looks so pretty and comfy too! fliss xxx

[ilsa-fay]

Love that 'wet dog' look! Gorgeous!

[Clemkins]

Hope Douglas is ok after his wet adventure. He looks a bit shocked but utterly adorable. Hope he enjoyed lots of cuddles afterwards.

[Victoria]

Love that 'wet dog' too. And hope those babies are ok. They are a worry. x

[paintdropskeepfalling.wordpress.com]

Like a chapter of Dr Doolittle! :0 :)))

[Gill]

Vanessa I love the idea of Douglas diving in (he did dive in didn't he??) to save Cuddy and then having to be rescued himself by Hugo!!!

[Jan]

I am terribly jealous of your garden adventures....simply beautiful. Douglas is a dear, and good for Hugo, risking life and limb to save him from saving another little rascal. Very sweet pictures, Vanessa.

[Lorraine Shergold]

Hello Vanessa,
I have just found your blog mentioned on a post over at 'Henhouse' and popped in to take a look. I am writing to ask if you would mind if I made a couple of those gorgeous knitted rosettes from your tutorial to use at my quilt group exhibition in October. We are going to have a 'Visitors Choice' contest for the first time and the winner is to be presented with a Silver cup which is to be dedicated to the memory of a founder member of our group who recently died. In late life Kath went blind & was devastated to be unable to sew or attend our meetings. In her latter years she was stricken by dementia, she is and will continue to be a much missed member. I thought it would be quite nice if we could award rosettes to the competition runners up and yours would fit the bill perfectly as they are hand made and such fun. You can contact me via email if you agree, and I have bookmarked your page added you to the list of blogs I follow as I so enjoyed my visit, and I will most certainly be mentioning you on my own Blog.
Many thanks
Lorraine. Quilter, knitter & crochet'er and anything else crafty that comes my way!