All my hard work!

Ruined! ST & FP have moved everything about and messed up all the hard work I did the other day when I was checking for dead frogs (see earlier blog post). Well, if they think I'm doing it all again...

Instead I have retreated to my room to keep an eye on the garden. I had a particularly interesting battle of wills with a squirrel in the park this morning and I suspect strongly that my part in the counter-plot against them is known; I may be a target now and if they can take FP and hold her for a week, then certainly I must be cautious.

Lots of people were running and riding bikes in the park (maybe some sort of training day for other collies) so we had to use another entrance. I did my usual thing of launching straight out of the back seat and belting to the nearest stretch of grass, barking the whole time to let everyone know I'd arrived. FP followed with Tugger (new) and things seemed just as they always do. Except that I reached the Ridge a lot sooner than normal and clearly the squirrels weren't prepared.

There were several on the ground burying nuts which were being knocked from the branches above by other squirrels. Then, suddenly, one of the squirrels froze on its way to a tree and turned towards me.

Now I froze too, the rule being that one does not make a single movement whilst a squirrel is facing one. This impasse lasted for several minutes - an intriguing battle of wills between two determined foes which attracted a good deal of amused interest from passing humans. I know it was having trouble working out for sure that I was actually a dog and not a bush or a park bench because I was in full Stealth Mode, scarcely breathing and standing on 3 legs for way longer than most dogs can manage. My cover was only blown because other squirrels started closing in around me and, like I say, if they can take and hold FP it's worth being careful. Once I'd moved my head to check out the danger all around me, the squirrel I'd been stalking hissed:

"You again!" and sprang half way up the nearest tree.

So now I must be wary. Possibly some local cats have let on that I've been passing on intelligence regarding the squirrels' activities. I knew we couldn't trust the cats!

Untrustworthy: a cat