Sunday, September 18, 2011

A toad in the demesne

Home in Mid Suffolk again (or rather, having never left Mid Suffolk in the first place because, as I have explained, I haven't gone to Conference...), we've been catching up on a little light gardening before the nights begin to draw in. Ros has been planning one of the borders for next year, and was poking about when she was slightly surprised by this...

I presume that it is a common toad - it's a bit squat to be a frog, and we don't have any open water anywhere (given the size of our garden, I'm sure that I would have noticed). However, it is rather attractive, and I am fairly confident that one of my readers can give me a more definitive answer.

It is one of the great delights of being a country dweller that I encounter much more wildlife, at much closer quarters, than I ever did as a Londoner. Quail, pheasants, deer, hares - all of these are commonplace and part of a gentle scenery that never ceases to soothe a bureaucrat's soul.

It seems to have that effect on our visitors too. Friends come to Creeting St Peter from their busy urban lives and tend to remark afterwards how relaxing it all is, which is very nice. And now that both Ros and I have settled upon a less hurried pace of existence, we tend to get more visitors...

No comments:

Post a Comment