Big Brave Archie

Becky came for Archie today, with the news that she is starting a full time job soon, and so will be restricted to Archie at weekends, but she'll have to book in ahead of time - his weekends sometimes get booked up early, as Elizabeth is a regular Saturday walker.

I restrung the pulley, after considering it for a long time. I had strung it wrongly before, and so the rope rubbed and was about to break, causing the pulley to crash to the floor again. It did it when Archie was a wee lad, just missing him, and so now when I go near the pulley rope, he scarpers from the kitchen.

I then washed the front window (just the bit at the bird feeder), but the reflections were still too bad, even with the secondary glazing open. However, I sat there for a while, waiting for some bird visitors. Whenever they came, I'd move slowly to the window, and they'd fly off. I hid my white hair under my hat, to no avail. Should I camouflage my white face as well?

Then I realised that I could use my phone and my iPad as a remote on my camera! Duh!

So I set it up on a tripod on the table, and sat back in comfort on the sofa with a coffee and waited. Much better. I took hundreds dozens of photos, none of them worth sharing, but it was fun. Lots of sparrows and starlings, but it was very exciting to see a wee tit (on the feeder). By this time it was the afternoon, and the sun had moved round and we were in shade, so I'll try again tomorrow morning when the sun is on the feeder. I think I've got it sussed now.

As I was checking through my last batch of photos, many of them with no bird in it at all, a black cat appeared on the windowsill. The windowsill is rather near the bird feeder. I do not want a cat there. I went and banged the window. It ignored me and continued to gaze at the feeder. Nothing for it but to frighten it off the premises, with, say, a dog...

I put Archie on the table right at the window, thinking the cat would run off. I don't want him barking at cats, but I thought the cat might have had the good manners to depart in the face of a resident canine.

Archie was silent. They stared at each other, neither moving. Then Archie slowly, very slowly, turned his face away from the cat and looked down at the floor! It was hilarious. But the cat continued to glare, then, when it was good and ready, it casually ambled off and out the gate. Archie, the big brave dog, then gave a few masterful gruffs, trying to convince me that he was the one who saw the interloper off.

This incident has to be recorded, though the reflections are rather annoying, I think it shows who's the boss.