Wednesday 5 September 2018

Great event.

Friend S always takes Tess for a walk on Wednesday afternoons.   I am sure Tess knows when it is Wednesday as she starts getting itchy feet straight after lunchtime.

S almost always comes in for a coffee after the walk and she came in today and told me of an event which had taken place near to her house.  Her neighbours farm in a small way and one of the things they have is a bantam who has reared some baby ducklings.   The farmer has a hut and a pen for them as slowly but surely (and inevitably) the ducklings are getting collectively too large to fit under their surrogate mum at night.

A few mornings ago, when they went to let them out something quite large and black was disappearing with a duckling.   They set a trap to catch it.   It was a mink.   My friend has a veggie garden and has noticed that something has been eating her courgettes (mink?)

The village is only a mile or so from where I now live and it is a pretty village with a beck running right through it.   So now we know for certain that at least one mink lives on our beck - and if there is one then maybe there are others.   Pretty they might be but they are also a menace.

On quite a different subject can I just say how much it saddens me that there are people who are so unpleasant in blogland.   Poor John is going through a hard time at present.   I hope - and am pretty sure I am right - that he is getting help, support and love from all his followers and that it is helping him come to terms with things.   I know when I lost the farmer the support and love which I received from you all was a tremendous comfort to me - and comfort I can never repay except to be similarly helpful to anyone else going through a rough time.   Rachel too needs our support - she has enough on her plate without terrible toothache
 - so please, let's all pull together.

18 comments:

Jules said...

I hope Tess enjoyed her walk, it's been beautiful and sunny today.
I'm not surprised to read about the mink as I saw a pair of them just last week in our nearby river. X

justjill said...

Hear hear. Bloggers can be so supportive. I had my first troll comment the other day, just deleted it, but I had to smile as it was all about me 'moaning about living in the country'! I just tell it how it is! We open our hearts and lives up and to then receive the support is truly amazing.

Terra said...

How nice that Tess knows it is Wednesday and she is excited about her Wednesday walks. Most bloggers are very supportive and it is annoying when a few are not. Especially when blog friends such as John are going through hard times, we need to give them our support.

donna baker said...

Pat, that is so funny to think of the banty rearing the ducklings. I love banties and their personalities, but kind of feel sorry for the hen as the ducklings love their water and bathing. Poor mom must have a tough time if water is near. Life on a farm is entertaining. Though I live in the city now, I still sit on my dock everyday and feed the geese, ducks, turtles and fish. We have become 'friends' and I can identify many. I see little turtle heads poking out of the water when I sit on the back porch. Husband was just lamenting the early sale of his fattened cows at the farm as he is having to mow much more. Sprinkles on the lake today and a cool breeze - a sure sign that autumn is just around the corner.

Derek Faulkner said...

Pat, when you lost the farmer you deserved every bit of the support that you received and the
continuing quality of your blog deserves the praise that it continues to receive. You have always been willing to receive opinions that you might not agree with, perhaps at times, have even provoked them and long may that continue. In my opinion, blogs shouldn't be posted simply to garner praise upon one's self, they should be interesting, they can also be the cause of debate, unfortunately not all bloggers work in that way and can be very vindictive and nasty when receiving alternative opinions that are more than simple praise.

Sue in Suffolk said...

Not far from where I used to live was a farm that on OS maps was labelled as a Mink Farm, Not sure how long ago that would have been.

I wonder why some people feel the need to jump in and stir up trouble, does upsetting one person make them feel better or more powerful?
I had loads of lovely supportive comments after Colin died and still believe there are more nice people out there, so it's a pity the nasty ones get all the attention. If everyone simply deleted any argumentative comments without mentioning them or their authors.........giving them no publicity.
That's what I would do.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks to you all so far!

Tom Stephenson said...

I know you have us in your heart, Weave. I hope you know we have you in ours - actually, I'm sure you do. You are one of the main reasons I stay here.

Bonnie said...

You are so kind to mention other bloggers who can use our support. We are all in this world together and it is so much nicer when we support and care about one another rather than attempt to stir up trouble. It is indeed sad when someone wishes to cause pain rather than give support and kindness. Thank goodness there are so many wonderful and good people in blogland and I do hope we can all help the good to far outweigh the bad.

Rachel Phillips said...

I appreciate your concern for me at the moment Weave. Thank you. It means a lot to me.

Heather said...

People who post unkind and spiteful comments on social media are best ignored - they probably need help themselves - but if the recipient is going through a difficult patch it must be so hard not to be affected by them.
Nature is so cruel sometimes - poor little bantam.
So glad Tess enjoys her walks and I hope you and she are enjoying some of the lovely days we are still getting down here.

Alphie Soup said...

Mink! I didn't expect that, now I've discovered they are an imported species to Britain.
As for the nastiness that sometimes appears in posts and comment boxes in blogland, it is an unfortunate reflection of the world we live in. Proportionately these comments are minor and often draw far greater attention than is warranted. This is no doubt part of their plan and the pay off these people seek materializes.
It's also podsoble to misconstrue comments on blogs when there are only written words, no facial expressions and no tone of voice or laughter/smiles.
On rereading your post it occurred to me that mink might be nature's version of online trolls.
Alphie

Alphie Soup said...

Possible!! Not that weird word podsoble.....
The sooner I get my new glasses the better.
Alphie

Alphie Soup said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cro Magnon said...

We don't have Mink here, but we do have Pine Martens, which are similar and get up to similar antics!

thelma said...

Blogland can be difficult, we have to offer comfort when needed thats for sure. But what of those that sneer and behave cruelly? Do we punish our children when cruel or do we sit down and talk it out?
What we do bring to blogs can be our childish prejudices and words that are not often expressed well and misunderstandings occur. So read what offends you in the comment section and then delete!
As for that 'gmail' spam fella he is pretty persistent....

The Weaver of Grass said...

Agree with Thelma - that is the way to go. And that gmail comment is very annoying and seems to visit us all - but again delete.
Love your comment Alphie - and it is podsoble you may have invented a complete new word!!
Tom - I love you!

Rachel Phillips said...

The thing with nasties is that they always want to have the last word so they just keep coming back and coming back so deleting can become a long battle.