What a relief

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What was that noise coming from upstairs? Could it be the central heating clicking on now it is a little cooler? I went to investigate. It was the loudest from our bedroom with a skylight. Then I noticed huge raindrops drumming on the pane. More drops splatted on the glass then joined with others making big blobs which burst and raced down the window. How strange that I had not recognised the noise of rain. Well, not so strange really when you think about it, we have not had any rain to speak of since we moved here in the spring and now it is autumn and the weather has changed.

Our parched, grateful lawn looks greener already and the newly planted silver birch trees must have let out a sigh of relief after trying to survive on our meagre watering-can offerings at night. We planted them as soon as we could, you need to get going with trees as early as possible in a new garden, but they have had a ‘bad’ year with hot weather and warming winds. Perhaps now, against the odds, they will survive.

And I am pleased to say our supermarket cat has survived. The alarm was sounded by his owner that he had not come home. To the delight of the shoppers, he usually sits outside the entrance to the shop and befriends the customers. He looks at you and appeals with his very big eyes and you just want to go back into the shop and buy some cat food or some milk to give him. But that is not what he wants and there is a notice up ‘Do not feed the cat’. He certainly looks well fed. No, he does not need food, he needs attention and wants someone to stroke him, the plaintive look in his eyes means that he always gets what he wants.

Luckily, he has turned up again and is taking shelter from the rain in the shop foyer. He knows what he is doing our supermarket cat.

But I did not know what I was doing when I was faced with one of those QR codes recently. We wanted to get into a bird hide but it was locked and we were told on the notice board to take a photo of the QR Code. I was wary as I have read of these in some car parks where a fake one has been stuck onto the original, presumably to get your details. Crossing our fingers we did as we were asked and got a code to unlock the door. Inside we found a wonderful view but no water for the birds because of the drought!

 

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