Quite often, before going to bed, I stroll down to the pond and watch the reflection of the moon in the still water.

     There's something quite magical about standing alone in the garden of our home from waifs and strays, especially when the village is fast asleep and I'm alone with the moon.

      I stand there meditating! Is there anybody out there? I wonder. Are we alone in the universe? I doubt it! I doubt it very much!

       Just the other night when I thought I was alone with the moon, I sensed something slither by my feet. It was Slip the Slug. I knew it was him as I caught him earlier, making his way across the living room carpet. He was long and fat and pale in colour. Definitely Slip! For those who haven’t followed the bedtime tales, Slip is a slug who has been living in the house for weeks....until now!

     I let Slip go by and looked back at the moon. The air was chilly and fresh. I pulled my scarf around my shoulders. Something moved in the pond. A frog, many frogs, all gliding effortlessly in the water. Something scurried in the hedge, a mouse perhaps, maybe Jako had come back. Anyway, we were not alone, we never would be. I’ve changed my mind, I wouldn’t want to be alone with the moon!

To-days blog will be dedicated to Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.

     One stormy night in 542 or thereabout, a baby was born called David. What’s so special about that? Well, apart from every baby being special, that wee baby grew up to become a Saint, Dewi Sant, the patron saint of Wales.

      David was the son of Welsh aristocrats, his mother was Saint Non. As he grew, David was said to have preformed many miracles whilst preaching around the country. During one such time, it is reported that the ground rose up to form a hill which enabled David to be seen and heard by everyone. He soon became Saint David, and later, the patron saint of Wales.

     Legend says that during the battle with the Saxons, Saint David ordered his men to wear leeks in their hats, so that they could be distinguished from their enemies.

      He was buried in St David’s cathedral in Pembrokeshire and will always be remembered for this little saying,

 “Do ye the little things in life” (“Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd”)

Just like Winnie the Pooh, I never like to be away from home for too long. This is a strange thing for a person like me to say, who is very much a free spirit and was brought up to be as wild as a bird or a rabbit.

     If I’m not working on the ward, I’m often shopping for my kind and unassuming husband and the rest of the animals that live at our home for waifs and strays.  I have to collect straw, corn, pellets and all sorts of things that animals need. Then I have people to visit who just ‘need to talk’ and I just have to sit and listen. You wouldn’t believe how hard this is for a person like me!

      And today, as I walked through the arched gate, after one of these particular days, I was greeted by a chorus of birds, hundreds of them, all living in the hedges around our home. The hens also came to see me and together we walked down to the pond and stared in amazement at the islands of frog spawn floating upon it. I waved a finger at the girls and warned them not to touch!

       Looking around, I noticed the daffodils waving their fresh yellow heads, beneath the overhanging catkins on the hazelnut tree. Such a pretty site!  By the time I had reached the kitchen door, the stresses of the day had vanished. I was home!

Something very funny happened to-day, and it will make me smile for a long time to come!

     It all began when I walked down to the village shop to post a letter. There were a few ladies talking just outside and hushed when I approached.

     ‘How’s your dear and unassuming husband?’ said one lady, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

     ‘I hear he’s also very clever!’ said another.

     ‘He’s very well,’ I replied smiling back, ‘and yes, he is very clever, very clever indeed!’ It was all very confusing! How did these women know about my kind and unassuming husband? I frowned and looked at them suspiciously. They certainly didn’t look the type to use computers, let alone know what a blog page was. I can only imagine that word had got around. After all, it is just a small village where hardly anything goes unnoticed.

     I posted my letter and entered the shop to buy some milk.

     ‘Good morning!’ said the usually shy gentleman behind the counter, who hardly ever says a word, so you can see why I looked surprised. ‘And how is your kind and unassuming husband these days?’

     I sort of half screwed up my face and nodded. ‘Very well thank you!’ I replied in a voice that didn’t quite sound like mine and quickly paid for the milk and left the shop. Thankfully the women had moved on, so no more questions. But it didn’t end there. Oh no!

     Just as I reached the gate to our home for waifs and strays, I met the postman. He smiled a huge smile and I thought he had something delightful to give to me or to tell me, but all he said was, 'how’s your kind and unassuming husband these days?’ and grinned some more and nodded like a puppet. I actually smiled and nodded like a puppet back, in disbelief! So this is why he takes so long delivering the mail, I thought.

     ‘The whole village is talking about your tales and hoping you will write about the village folk too!’ said the postman. ‘I was wondering if you will be writing about me!'

     ‘Perhaps,’ I replied as I opened the gate. ‘But you will have to wait and see.’

     So I have written about some of the people in the village, but I will have to be careful what I say! For me, this could prove quite difficult, as one or two of you already know!

This tree might be dead, but it is still full of life! Decaying and dead trees still offer life to fungi, mosses, insects and lichens. At our home for waifs and strays, many newts, toads, frogs and slow worms take cover beneath bits of rotten wood we’ve gathered in a pile besides the pond.

      It is such a shame that trees in our public parks and even in our gardens, are pruned to such a degree that it effects the natural habitat for our wildlife. Even in our woodlands, the end of life trees are often removed. One idea is for the tree stump to remain and left to rot on its own, thus providing a home for many small creatures.

      If you would like to encourage wildlife into your garden, it is quite easy to form a small pile of logs, sticks and leaves. Even those of you who have just a small balcony or small space, can help, by using a bucket filled with sticks and leaves. Just remember to puncture holes in it so the insects etc can come and go as they please and the rain water can escape.