Badgers' Sett

"Have you been Feeding these horrors Turkey?" The angst-ridden question greets Dad as he returns from a "warm her up and dry her out" run in the 2CV. Why, are they a bit smelly? replies Dad (a bit unsportingly, I felt). Mum has this theory that chicken meat makes one or more of us a bit... um.... windy, and now suspects that turkey is having a similar effect. I went round the house, she says, looking for dead animals!

The cry had gone up "Who wants a walk?", where-upon Haggis and I are bouncing excitedly at the back door waiting to get our (new) collars put on. Meg, though, is glued to the bed, her chin pressed hard into it and her eyes tight shut like a child trying to convince it's mother that it is asleep. Dad relents, and lets Meggie away with it. She's had a big day yesterday, after all. Anyway, without the "Dowager Duchess" we know we can range father and faster round the forest at Dad's "route march" pace, not possible with her in tow.

So we get right down to the "Adder Glade", and come back along the North Downs Way, a chunk of the long distance path that runs through here. Just by that path is one of our top places in Challock, the badger sett. Much opportunity for terriers to do what terriers do best - poke their noses in where they are not welcome. We're not quite brave enough to disappear down one of the holes - besides, we've heard tell that a full grown badger is bigger than us and quite a fearsome adversary, but we still race about sniffing down every hole, playing with fire, as it were.

http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Northdowns/index.asp

I am still "interesting", or so thought young black collie cross "Flash", who was very attracted to my back end, and caused me to do drama-queen squeaks to get rescued and drive him off. Sorry Flash - I'm just a victim of my hormones. That's an excuse Dad uses, too....

Keep on Boxing

Deefer