Wall to Wall Foxes.

The first time I saw a fox mincing along our garden wall, I did not believe my eyes. My surprise was so great, that I considered reducing the strength of my daily gin and tonic - or cutting it out altogether.

Now, this wall is quite high, about twelve feet to be exact. The foxes jump on where the wall is lower, in my neighbour's garden. It is about five feet high at the lowest end. They then walk along the top of the wall , just as nimbly as a cat would and then jump into our patch.

The problem now is, that having made our garden fence secure, in order to keep the badgers from getting in, (see previous post,) the foxes are finding it hard to get out.

There is a lot of digging on both sides of the fence, as the two species try to find their own route. It will be an animal super highway before they have finished.

Wisdom has it that it is never a good idea to do battle with nature, but that seldom deters mankind from enjoining the fray.

Breaking In.

I like Badgers, I really do, but just about this time each year, they have a group visit to our garden and have a good root around. I then like them a bit less.

I know that they are coming and so have filled up any holes in the fence and put rocks here and there, where I think it may discourage them from entering.

They pick their rainy night carefully and take advantage of the soft, wet soil to dig under the fence. Some of them will barge the wooden fence and invariably manage to break some of the rotten slats near the ground.

Then they are in. They dig a latrine in the herb garden and dutifully fill it with their droppings. They also dig holes all over the lawns as they search for worms, leather jackets or whatever.

My neighbour asks why they come through his garden on the way to mine without doing anything: and why they bother to break in.

It is the old story of "Forbidden Fruits". In this case grapes. Our dump has the last of the discarded fruit from the vine and these are all consumed by the visitors.