Pre Dawn Frolic with Cats

This is one of the cats' favourite trees from the walled garden at Isauld. It was a favourite spot of mine, too. As I weeded the beds, wrestled with Bishop's weed or herb willow, or pegged out laundry, the cats would keep me company--even the wild ones would come and sit safely on the sidelines watching the activity.

Now the cats and I are in a new house with no walled garden, and the nearest roads are real roads--maybe not highways but not the farm road nonetheless, so they need to learn where it is safe to go--and not.

Solomon has discovered a willow tree that is large enough for him to scamper up when he wants to play king of the hill. I am glad he likes it but it also means that I probably should not fill the nearby bird feeder.

His favourite haunt so far is through the fence into the neighbours rough grass where he hunts mice. Sheba likes to go to the side of the house and sit on a stack of roofing tiles looking for mice or anything that looks like fun to chase. She stays closer to home than Solomon does.

I don't know what other than the curiosity about what lies behind those strange grouse noises or the inherent perversity of cats draws Solomon to the open moor on the other side of the road. Grouse are much too big for him (and probably too fierce also) and the moor is very very wet, and no cat likes wet feet--but when do cats listen to reason?

So this morning in pre dawn I was enjoying the quiet after a Big Wind with the cats in the wall-less garden by the moss. The ground squished beneath my feet and Solomon swayed from the top of the willow tree and the two of them wrestled and chased each other around the yard.