I felt sorry for him, despite the fact he was unwelcome.

My dear and unassuming husband was very clever to catch this uninvited guest. I say clever, but this underweight and obviously starving animal was delighted to see us when we opened our log shed today. After a feed of cat food, bacon and water, he fell asleep in a box close by.

'He can't possibly stay,' I said firmly, ‘even though he is very cute.' You see, ferrets like to chop off the heads of hens....and I can assure you, I prefer my girls with their heads on.

So we took the little fellow for a ride....to the hospital in the woods, for small animals.

'He is very underweight,' said the vet, 'probably released by its owner but unable to fend for himself.'

We left the wooden hospital which is run by volunteers, and felt happy that they would look for a suitable family for our unwanted but adorable guest.

Our home for waifs and strays is long-term for many and short-term for some...but nevertheless, it is a haven for everyone who stumbles upon  it. Even those who are unwelcome!

 There have been some strange noises in our home for waifs and strays.

It all seemed to start after Mocha died. Just to update those who didn’t follow Mocha’s story, she was our very old and poorly hen that died a couple of weeks ago. At night, we kept her in a spare room in the house....the same room where the strange noises seem to be coming from.

My dear and unassuming husband assures me that it’s the pipes making the noise. However, I am not convinced!  I am not sure he is either...I have the feeling he trying to stop my overactive imagination from conjuring up some sort of chicken ghost.

The noise, a sort of moaning, grumbling sound, can be heard any time of day and night. It even wakes me up.

I have tried hard to find out exactly where the noise is coming from and now I’m convinced it’s from Mocha’s old room.

Tonight, I have set a tape recorder to see if I can capture anything strange....like pipes or...well anything!

My dear and unassuming husband cannot believe I have taken this so far....but I am a believer in many things....and until he fixes the noise, I will continue the detective works myself. Keep posted!

Love comes in many forms,...the love of a person, a pet and even a place where memories were made. I think today I will reflect...

There have been many people and other animals that have touched my life and you could say, I have loved and been loved many times.

The first people to love me were my parents. They instilled in me the confidence to be the person I am today. I was a feral child, brought up in an unconventional home with the beautiful Gower coast as my garden. I ran barefoot through valleys and over beaches and learnt from a very young age that life is what you make of it.

Then came three siblings! They brought with them a love that will last a lifetime. They are scattered around the globe now,  but there are no walls between us, just water. My cousins are circus people throughout Europe and thanks to media sites, I always keep in touch.

I have made many friends along the way, all of whom have made and left footprints in my life. Each one helped me to grow and taught me many things.  And I have a special love for all the animals that have been and those that still are, a very big part of my life and the life of my dear and unassuming husband.

But the greatest love I have is for my family, for you see, this is where my story begins....

I like surprises, but it was no surprise to see what my dear and unassuming husband (who is very clever) made for me. Well although it’s for me, it is really meant for the doves that practically live in our garden. It is a brilliant piece of work (although he would not say so himself) and the loveliest dovecote I have ever seen.

Despite all this wild and wet weather, spring is just around the corner, we hope! And when spring arrives, the birds will be looking for somewhere safe to nest. I will advertise my new dovecote by engraving the words...Rooms to let! No charge!

Our garden is home to hundreds and hundreds of wild birds and just last spring, a terrible thing happened. I came through the gate just in time to witness a beast of a sparrowhawk flying off with a ringed-neck dove...its feathers in a heap in the garden. It landed briefly on our little shed and turned to look at me with the beadiest of eyes....it was the most awful sight and I shall spare you any more details.

So, because my dear and unassuming husband is so clever, he made a home for the doves to make up for what happened.