As I sit by my window and watch a watery moon shine down on another memorable day, I wonder what tale I shall tell you tonight. Shall I talk about the animals that live in our garden for waifs and strays? Or shall I tell you a tale about the characters that live in Gusty Gully? Or perhaps I should just talk to you, as if you were here in the room with me. Now that’s a good idea!

      I shall light the fire and sit in the old armchair besides it. You can sit in the chair opposite me, but be careful not to sit on the cat.

      If you’re in the mood for music, then we could sing-along with the old guitar, leaning against the piano. Or perhaps you would like to listen to some classical music or read poetry from one of the books on the shelf behind you.

      On an evening like this, I like to read Hiawatha, written by Longfellow in 1855. The names of the characters just roll off your tongue, like Gitche Manito, the peace-bringing leader and Mudjekeewis, father of the Four Winds. Then there’s Nokomis, who falls from the moon and becomes Hiawatha’s Grandmother and the book would be nothing without Minnehaha, Hiawatha’s childhood sweetheart.

By the shore of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
At the doorway of his wigwam,
In the pleasant Summer morning,
Hiawatha stood and waited.

      Just like Hiawatha, I too, have the need for freedom. Walking barefoot in the rain with my face skyward is something I have always done since childhood and many moons ago, I too went on a journey and did not return for many moons and many winters. I also stood on the shore and waved at my parting, but no-one waved back, for no-one saw me go!

       So you are still there, sitting in the chair opposite me, the embers are now cold. Take a blanket from the box behind you and place it on your knees and I shall read some more.

"I am weary of your quarrels,
Weary of your wars and bloodshed,
Weary of your prayers for vengeance,
Of your wranglings and dissensions;
All your strength is in your union,
All your danger is in discord;
Therefore be at peace henceforward,
And as brothers live together

Goodnight my friend, remember that it is later than you think!

For those of my readers who have never been to Wales, where I live with my kind and unassuming husband, let me tell you a little secret, it is outstandingly beautiful but extremely WET!

There are all forms of rain in Wales! Fat rain (big wet blobs), lazy rain (rain that would rather go through you than around you), drizzle, pelting, misty, graupel (German name)a soft hail or snow pellets, and snow of course. All this rain is the reason we have such a lush green country.

I guess the shape of our landscape with mountains and long stretches of coastline can cause the weather to change dramatically one hour to the next. We are also close to the Atlantic ocean and the Irish sea.

But we also have stunning sunsets and sunny days to crawl into and savour. Take today for example, it began with rain, ordinary straight rain which was warm, nevertheless. Then sunshine by lunchtime and a mixture at the time of writing, but as usual, the golden hour is upon us and the colour is magical. I wouldn’t swap Wales for anywhere else on earth!

However, I would like to add that it is a struggle in our allotment garden where the corn on the cobs are over a metre tall and were forced to the ground by the fat rain and a wicked wind yesterday. My kind and unassuming husband and I struggled for an hour to tether each plant to a pole (broken branches) so that they could all have a chance of survival. I have to say that they are all looking good today. Well done Mr Kind and Unassuming Husband! 

The foxing hours are upon us but I’m happy the hens are safely tucked up in their beds for the night. I was late coming home this evening and breathed a sigh of relief as I opened the old arch door that takes you into our garden for waifs and strays. It’s raining, a damp, misty rain, so as I walked up the winding path to the house, overhanging plants and bushes brushed against me and in no time at all I was soaked. I stopped by the pond and took a deep breath and tried to ignore the rain as it seeped through my clothes, but I couldn’t have been happier. You see, there is no place like home to me. But this is also home to many wild little creatures.

In the dim light I noticed the flowers (botanical name Nymphaea) on the lily pads had closed and I smiled at the memory of seeing them so vividly yesterday, when the sun shone and the world smelt both sweet and earthy. I wondered if they would flower again tomorrow as they only flower for 3 to 5 days. I sat by the pond and watched the damsel and dragon flies flit over the lily pads, it was an amazing and humbling sight. What a difference a day can make!

With so much pain and sadness in this world, I turn to nature for comfort and reassurance and my kind and unassuming husband always reminds me that there is more good in the world than bad. I think he is right, don’t you?

‘He’s back!’ shouted my kind and unassuming husband as he hurried off to work this morning. ‘If he’s here when I get home I will shoot him!’ but he was joking of course! You see, our uninvited and unwelcome visitor is nothing more than a rat!

Every time we tell anyone that we keep chickens, they always have the rat look on their faces. But rats would be here with or without the hens and their cousins, the squirrels who are also rodents. We also feed the wild birds and this encourages the little people too.

However, I have to admit that their wee little faces always make me smile, much to the horror of my kind and unassuming husband.

‘They have a heart too,’ I remind him and so we never harm them but attempt to trap them in a cage and release them up on the moor or in the woodlands.

Prevention if better than a cure, which is perfectly true according to hen keeping books! However, I have tried keeping the food in plastic containers and sweeping up every single night, every scrap of spilled food, but the ‘little people’ still come, in hope of a free take-away!

He has gone to work now, my kind and unassuming husband that is, and so I will do my best, on my day off, to think of another deterrent. Oops! He is back.....and so is she! The rats I mean!

I met this woolly bear on the coastal path near our home for waifs & strays quite recently. ‘Look!’ shouted a child as he passed by, ‘a woolly worm!’ And indeed, that’s what this soon to be Tiger Moth is often called. Just like my kind and unassuming husband, these woolly bears are very intelligent and have the ability to produce ultrasonic sounds to scare off predators and can also confuse bats hoping for a tasty meal.

However, that’s where the likeness ends, because unlike my kind and unassuming husband, these little creatures are odd shapes and stink! Their hairstyles are totally different too! And just a thought, on close up, this little fella is quite scary!