Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Family fellow at your service.




Time to take the Christmas tree down. An activity that, despite our best efforts, Wilf became intimately involved in. He had his ' family fellow at your service ' look on his face. While I was up a ladder removing the lights he was happily padding around the base of the tree - exploratory mode fully engaged. Baubles sniffed, pine needles distributed throughout the house, wrapping paper shredded, boxes closed and then re-opened with a flick of the nose and a prod from a paw. Wilf the miniature, mischevious , chaos inducing polar bear.

This morning we parked the car and walked along the line of the roman road to the little twelfth century chapel. Blackbirds and robins jostling noisily in the hedgerows. The mild weather excellent for worm hunting . Ten yards away from us an eagle swept down on a walnut copse, foraged around on the ground, shrieked and then flew off with a field mouse firmly in its talons. I nearly leapt out of my skin. Had it failed to notice us ? Or have they learnt that as a protected species man no longer poses a threat ? Wilf raised his head to see what was happening but was soon busy gainfully examining something horrible in the long grass.

24 comments:

  1. Jack did the same when we put up the Christmas tree. So I made him supervisor behind the gate.

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  2. I love, "family fellow at your service," I can just imagine him 'helping'! Similarly, if 2 or more members of our family stand together our Rosie Mae insists on standing in the same square foot, smiling.

    Glad to hear you weren't eaten by the eagle.

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  3. Wilf says, "airports? other continents? growing up? -- hey! look at that mouse!! i think there might be one here! in the grass!!" Dad, "Check it out!!."

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  4. it is funny, Wilf has combed his hair before the first shoot this morning.
    I've got to put the Xmas tree away, but with three cats at home, I'll ask my daughter to take care of that while I'm away from home, at work. That'll be better for everyone involved...

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  5. Oh I am SO looking forward to helping Gail take down the Christmas tree later today!
    Toodle pip!
    Bertie.

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  6. Looks like one of those walks that just makes you happy!

    XXXOOO Daisy, kendra & Bella

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  7. Perhaps Wilf is making sure that this year the lights get put back into the boxes with all the other decorations!

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  8. wonderful pics...
    wilfie is looking really good...good thing he is a bit big for an eagle! (but i have heard of large birds carrying off little dogs!)
    the wisconsin river is a haven for bald eagles in the winter!
    xoxo

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  9. Heavens! In the second photo Wilf looks just like someone I know. Uncanny! Wilf is such a handsome fellow.

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  10. Wilf the mischievous! I love the vision of him "helping" you... I bet that he made what can be a not-so-fun task much more amusing.

    Your photos look like springtime with the emerald green grass. I'm a tiny bit jealous.

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  11. What a lovely landscape for the handsome Wilf to explore. His just reward for being such a helpful fellow. Thanks for the photos of green fields, a feast for our eyes amid snow, ice and more snow on the way.

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  12. What a gorgeous thing to have Wilf's at our service no ? Such a lovely face, with that incredible big black nose, and his white moustaches. Love you sweet boy.
    Lovely place too, where you live Angus, is it your house ?
    Cuddles and bisous to the beloved Wilfee.

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  13. Taking the Christmas tree down is a task yet to be accomplished in our house, but I am sure Maggie Mae will be "helping" me, just like her friend Wilf helped you. :)

    Blessings and Love,
    Janelle and Maggie Mae

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  14. Ah, they do love to help when lots of boxes come out, don't they? The image of Wilf as a little polar bear gave me a grin!

    The eagles around here can be rather bold, too! I guess he just wanted to be sure your ticker was in order!

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  15. Thanks for taking us along on your beautiful strolls. Gorgeous scenery. Eagles are huge birds, I too would have jumped out of my skin (and grabbed a small dog or two...) One afternoon a few years ago a huge eagle was perched in my neighbor's tree. I put on my bright neon yellow puffy coat and yelled at it to fly away, which it did.... Jersey Girl protecting her little dogs....

    Toby is always ALWAYS underfoot. I have learned to look down before walking around the house....

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  16. It's always tickled me that Edward pays no attention whatsoever to the Christmas trees, and we have three of them in the house. I've often wondered what he thinks. Here we come inside with a huge fir tree, we set it up, put lights on it, and thousands of doodads. He just lays there, grinning. Maybe it's best we don't know what he's thinking.

    I cannot imagine an eagle encounter like that one. Edward is not crazy about owls... something about their silence, methinks.... but I wonder what he would make of an eagle.

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  17. You never know, there could be some coconut ice cream in one of those boxes!!! What a handsome boy he is!! Keep going Wilf, you are fabulous!

    With pats and cuddles from the Canadian frozen tundra, with love of course,
    Dianna along with Tor, Willow and Tucker

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  18. "Here to help" is Lulu's motto. She's always there, in the thick of it, when there's packing, unpacking or sorting of anything to be done.

    So glad Wilf has seen in the New Year. Happy New Year to you all from me 'n' Lulu.

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  19. Wow, Angus is home already?! That sure was a fast trip. If Wilf managed to supervise so the lights stay with the rest of the Christmas ornaments, we think he should get the job of finding the sporran [if it's still missing] and supervising the storage so the kilt set also stays together. A dog's work is never done.

    Sounds like the eagle was confident - and really hungry. Wilf clearly knew he and Angus were in no danger; he didn't even bark.

    Jed & Abby

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  20. My dogs think they need to get involved in whatever I'm doing too. Shiver is skittish so he isn't usually as bad.

    What was the bad thing Wilf was examining?

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  21. taking down the christmas tree wouldn't be nearly as much fun without the help of Wilf. it would just be a tedious boring job.

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