Animal Antics.

A lovely sunny day with strong warm winds. In our sheltered back garden it was toasty hot, perfect for a bit of sunbathing which we did for not too long mindful of the high UV levels. On the radio today's official temperature high was 20C/68F.

I woke so early this morning that I started my exercises while it was still dark. I could tell the night had been warm because although I'd inadvertently left the window open overnight the room was comfortable warm. As the sky lightened I was serenaded, not so much by the dawn chorus but by a virtuoso performance from a single blackbird. A bit later on when I went into the kitchen I saw that the blackbird must have been responsible for yesterday's plant pot vandalism. While I didn't catch him in the act today he was close enough to the scene of the crime to be the main suspect. 

Looking out of the back windows I saw beautiful pink sunrise clouds with the colour reflected in the clouds over the sea. I know I often post this view but I like how the morning light lit up the new green leaves on the trees.

Later on into the morning I went up to my study to find Speedy leaning right out of the window watching a tabby cat walking in the neighbours' garden. I pulled the window to, then went down to shoo the cat out of our garden before it used the grass as a toilet. By the time I got outside there was no sign of the cat but more disturbingly when I went back upstairs there was no sign of Speedy and the window was wide open again! We searched the house before coming to the conclusion that Speedy had jumped out of the window. He wasn't in the garden but when I walked down the path whistling him up he appeared from the tabby cat's garden. I checked him over but couldn't see any signs of damage which was a big relief not to mention the vet's fees for a Sunday call-out. 

Having got out of the window once Speedy was clearly ready to jump again. Not wanting to risk any more of his nine lives I fitted a screw hook under the window sill and tied a cord from that to the window latch. Speedy was not impressed. 

I decided to treat Speedy to some outdoor time while I sat in the sun so I put his lead on and hooked it under the leg of my chair. All went well until Speedy decided to try and leap over the wall by way of the side table, my arm and a large mug of tea. Luckily the tea wasn't hot but I did get soaked. No surprise that Speedy was put back indoors after that.  Besides enjoying the sun and securing the window I had an ironing session with the washing that had dried in no time at all.