Fabulous Foxes ...

On our last day in London I came down early to get ready for my final day at Fibre East. When I looked out into the garden I was amazed to see a vixen with two cubs chasing each other through the flowerbeds. They were so puppy-like. One of the cubs was a great deal more timorous than the other one, and immediately ran off to hide when my sleepy-eyed mug appeared at the window, but Mum and the braver brother didn't scamper. They stayed and partied until I let the WonderDog out for his morning comfort break.

But this little chap watched me carefully from the relative safety of the shrubbery, clearly not wanting to venture too far from Mum even though he'd have liked to put as much distance between him and me as possible.

I suspect that these little chaps have been frequent visitors to our garden in recent weeks. There's evidence to suggest that they've enjoyed playing with the WonderDog's toys for quite a while. I'd wondered what had happened to a number of his balls, which had show signs of a determined level of gnawing by razor-sharp teeth that was not at all characteristic of him. And then the other day his favourite toy, Squeaky Duck, showed up looking very much the worse for the wear.

Squeaky Duck used to drive us mad. He sounded like bagpipes being played really badly inside a biscuit tin. It was weird, and in moments of stress it was soooo annoying. So I guess we've got something to thank the foxes for.

In the photo above the vixen is standing within suspicious proximity of a squeaky ball that has also mysteriously lost its squeak to the power of a junior set of needle-sharp teeth.

And in the background of the photo above you can see a furry rat that came in the WonderDog's Christmas stocking last year. It was a firm favourite until the fox family got hold of it. Bizarrely he tried to pee on it, which must have been his way of marking the toy as his property. Sadly for all concerned that was the point at which it all got too weird for me and the Teddy Rat went in the bin.

The WonderDog is the only member of our household who enjoys playing football. And we  have several footballs that all belong to him. When any get left out overnight in the back garden they're always in a different position the following morning. I've never actually caught them in the act, but I've got a hunch that the fabulous fox family are also keen footballers.

London is chock-a-block full of foxes. At night, or in the early morning, if you venture out you'll come across a host of these guys lurking around. They often appear during the day too. But I was impressed by the tip-top condition that my visitors were in. Their coats were shining testimonies to their good nutrition and great health.

All the best for now,

Bonny x