Monday 20 May 2013

Returning to normal.

We are still feeling tired after our holiday - I think probably because we both relaxed so much and took our time.  Today we
are a little more energetic than yesterday, so we are getting there.

No news of the pheasant chicks I am afraid.   We feel Mrs Pheasant may have led them out of the garden and into the fields, feeling that things would be safer there   Sad that she thinks that because we would really be better protection than all the predators she will encounter in the fields - foxes, stoats, weasels, raptors.   Still, they have to take their chances and - as always in nature - it is the survival of the fittest.

Speaking of animals and of their protection brings me neatly to another thing we did on our holiday.   We visited an Animal Sanctuary - and what an eye-opener it was.   How can people be so uncaring of such beautiful animals.   Some of the Shire horses looked so sad and yet the owner said they were all so gentle - huge great things, one of them almost 20 hands high (a mare) and yet always gentle.  There was also a badly-treated Apaloosa mare who had given birth to the prettiest foal only a week ago and they hadn't realised she was pregnant!   She was so protective of it and didn't even care for me taking a photograph of it.  And maybe saddest of all was a stable full of donkeys - why are people so very cruel to donkeys.   The farmer scratched the ears of the one in the photograph and I think it would have stood there all day and let him.
 While on the subject of 'animals' our house martins have returned whilst we were on holiday and they are already busy building and refurbishing their nests under our eaves.   Welcome back you glorious birds.

It amused us how pigeons and stock doves had taken advantage of an animal sanctuary - they were nesting everywhere and helping themselves to food.

There was a carriage museum and we were so interested in some of the old carriage.







 

8 comments:

Heather said...

That's the trouble with holidays Pat, you almost need another one to get over them!
Hope the pheasants will all grow up safely and lovely to have the house martins back.
We visited the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth one year and I found it very moving.

Em Parkinson said...

I can't go to those places without wanting to take all of them home, which would not be practical. I find it so depressing that some of us feel so little for animals. Do they feel as little for humans too I wonder? Very possibly.

Gerry Snape said...

Pat I love the Colman's Mustard Van...quirky!! Glad that you had a good holiday.

Elizabeth said...

I always have a soft spot for donkeys.
There is a completely batty charity in Fez, Morocco, run by old Englishwomen -a rest home for the poor overworked beasts who don't even get names.

angryparsnip said...

The older I get the less I understand how people can be so cruel to animals.
It breaks my heart.

cheers, parsnip

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you for calling in.

MorningAJ said...

The carriage museum looks fascinating.

(Don't start me on animal cruelty - you know what I do for a living!)
www.frame.org.uk

Crafty Green Poet said...

So sad to see all the mistreated animals, good that there's somewhere to care for them