Yvonne Fleece: The new year

The New Year

Once upon a time on a small farm near Billingshurst…

Some things never change despite the passing of seasons and last month’s rolling over of the year. Izzie and Sarah take turns feeding the sheep, The chickens need cleaning. The gardens need weeding. The lawns need mowing. The regular everyday chores need to be done.

However, one unchanging thing that has a bit of variety in it is the ongoing battle between Magnus and now Poppy and the Oakhatch family of squirrels.

Autumn acorns had not been as plentiful as previous years and so for the Oakhatches food was getting a bit scarce. They had got stuck into the crabapples, the haws and the rosehips. But it was hard work and not entirely successful. But what was available were the two birdfeeders full of peanuts. No squirrels in their right mind would not give getting that source of tucker a go. And so Jeremy and his missus Clementine took every opportunity to climb up the feeder pole and get stuck in.

Alas their enthusiasm was matched by the dogs and Grandad especially at not letting them help themselves so that the birds who also rely on the peanuts weren’t having enough. First Grandad then Nanny would open the door very quietly and whisper “Squirrels”. Without hesitation, the two dogs jostled each other silently out of the door, down the steps and across the lawns and watched as one of the squirrels ran up the birch tree, jumped across to the oak branches and disappeared. Sadly the dogs really didn’t get any chance. Jeremy and Clementine were just fast.

Everything settled down until the next time. Before long, the squirrel acrobatics would start again, sometimes upside down, sometimes reaching across and sometimes leaping up. If one of the humans didn’t notice, Poppy took it upon herself to bark at

them thus alerting another defence. As the new year began Nanny thought she might try putting peanuts for the squirrels out in a different place. She hoped that the peanut-feeder raids would stop. Time will tell. Meanwhile Poppy was settling into her place in the household. She pushed in front of Magnus any time there was food around. Magnus, being a gentleman, would let her. However, that began to stop when Poppy went to puppy school. The first day she was so cold she couldn’t concentrate but was able to come when called and sit and look at Nanny. The next week, warmly snuggled up in her handme-down coat from Heidi the schnauzer, she learned to wait and stay. Well, sort of. That is going to take a bit more practise because she found it very difficult to be still except when she was Jeremy – peanut thief asleep. She liked the other dogs but terrified a puppy rottweiler. She was still having some fun times though. One day Nanny took Magnus and Poppy to the Medmerry reserve. They walked along the stock bank and, coming back, Nanny took them down to look at the pond to see if there were any snails. The pond was covered with duckweed so thickly that Poppy… yep, she fell in. At first she started to panic a bit and so did Nanny. But she suddenly started swimming! Doggypaddling furiously she reached the bank and pulled herself out. She and her coat were covered in duckweed. When they got home, Nanny gave her a bath (first one) and dried her with the hair drier. Poppy was definitely not impressed. Hopefully she will learn how to swim properly at the dog school. Magnus prefers to slumber and sniff. Like the year, some things will change on that little farm near Billingshurst. Happy belated New Year everyone! Yvonne Fleece

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