Bobcat

It is nearly a year since Bob last featured in this journal. As I walked into the kitchen this morning, there he was sat in the middle of the kitchen table with the vase of daffodils and irises behind him. Irresistible.

There is another reason for blipping him. I told Bob's story in this blip. It was a story of a cat that we lost the first night that he came to live with us, and his miraculous reappearance three days later. The events in between his being lost and refinding us were unusual and perhaps, in retrospect, rather amusing.

I'm reminding myself of that story in an effort to feel optimistic about the disappearance of Reg the Tortoise. As I reported yesterday, we were unable to find Reg in the garden after Wifie had let him out in the afternoon. It was a colder night too than I expected, there was a touch of frost this morning. Not good for a tortoise outdoors.

We have spent a large part of today combing the garden inch by inch, trying to find him. I keep telling myself that it is most probable that he is still somewhere unseen in the garden, it is highly improbable that he could have found a way out across walls and barriers. But it has been a distressing day all the same. That combined with a feeling of responsibility that we took Reg on to provide him with a secure home where he would be able to spend the finer days outside enjoying the sunshine.

I'm hoping that tomorrow, if it is warm, he may emerge from his hiding place, hungry and looking for dandelion leaves on the lawn. We need a happy ending to this story, as we had with Bob's 10 years ago.

ps two new birds for the year to cheer me up: osprey and tree pipit at Foulshaw (127 species total).

And talking of reappearances, welcome back Quirky Girl.