Autumn cleaning

It's mid afternoon, a haar is rolling in and the skies are darkening as a November morning's gloriously sunny weather succumbs to its inevitable fate. I am frantically trying to avoid social media and all sports outlets in an attempt to not see the score of the Scotland v New Zealand rugby match, because when Megan returns home from work, we can watch the game together. For better or worse.

And, yes, you did read that correctly, earlier it was the most perfect Autumnal morning, so much so, in fact, that I happily engaged in a spot of housework. I know!

Much to the cats' disgust, the place was vacuumed from end to end, followed by the 'hooverings' being deposited in the compost heap. Two loads went through the washing machine, first the contents of the laundry basket and then a big throw from the sofa. Once all this was hung out to dry, I cleaned the bird feeders, refilled one of them and hung that out too, together with some apples for the Waxwings Blackbirds.

Predictably, I was often distracted by wildlifey moments and eventually succumbed to the temptation to nip back inside to fetch my camera. Whilst hanging out the washing, I could hear the distant raucous calls of a couple of corvids. Looking northwards, I could see a pair of (I think) Hooded Crows mobbing a raptor, probably a Sparrowhawk. I checked the traps under the house, as this is the location that has begun to reduce the rodent incursion, although this morning both traps were sprung but empty. The little blighters are quick learners! More rain yesterday afternoon meant that the ground was once again waterlogged, and I had to dig a bit of a trench to drain away a puddle which had formed just by the access hatch. Then, much later, when bringing the drying back indoors, I was delighted to see a male Stonechat sat at the top of the gable of the house. 

All the while this was going on, save for the time when the vacuum cleaner was in full voice, I was listening to the commentary of the Men's T20 Cricket World Cup, England v Pakistan. It was sufficiently tense and nerve-wracking that I needed to keep busy, and that was how I found myself tackling a job that I haven't done for a very long time. And when Ben Stokes eventually hit the winning runs for England, I was at the top of a ladder.

The visible stage of a slime mould on the lawn

There was plenty of lovely sunshine on tap

A tiny centipede scurrying down a wall

Yes, I have finally cleaned the windows!

So this Blackbird can just hop it and leave the apples for any passing Waxwings

The cats are back inside now, with gentle snoring emanating from two corners of the lounge, one under a chair and the other in a conveniently-discarded cardboard box. There has been a flurry of texts, reporting Waxwings from various parts of the county, but sadly none from this locale. So it is time to gravitate towards the kitchen, fire up Spotify and listen to some Celtic fusion whilst I prepare dinner.

Later, I am looking forward to hearing all about Megan's day, as she has been guiding a group of visitors to Orkney on a walk in South Ronaldsay. It'll be nearly dark when she returns home, so she won't discover the clean windows until tomorrow morning 😄