Saturday 3 January 2015

Patience - or lack of it

My patience is being tested today.  I'm consoling myself that I don't think I do too badly when it comes to the seven other virtues.  Definitely not as badly as I do with patience. Especially when there doesn't seem to be anything much I can do to remove the object of my impatience.  Like queues and traffic lights.  Just had to throw that in.  No, today it is feral cats.  I've spotted three in recent weeks and one, which was rather beautiful glossy pitch black, even walked up the steps, on to the deck and had a look around the door to see who (or what) was inside.  That one has been around for quite a while, has been spotted down the back of the farm, at the cow shed and at my son's house, too.  The other two are reasonably newcomers.  

I blame them for the disappearance of all my baby chickens while I was away.  Either them or hawks but there don't appear to be many hawks around this year.  Or maybe even they are frightened of the cats. 

I know they are frightening the daylights out of my hens.  The racket the poor chooks have been making this morning tells me there is a cat around somewhere.  Can't count the number of times I've been outside to talk soothingly to them.  They don't understand and take absolutely no notice.  

I've tried shouting and throwing things in the general direction I usually spot the feline terrorists.  Five minutes later the racket starts up again. 

So here I am starting the new year with dark thoughts.  They have to go.  While I'm thinking mainly of my chooks, I wonder how many birds are they killing as well? 

Somehow I don't think the budding archers in the family will be any threat.

Georgia's Christmas present was enjoyed by more than just herself when we all gathered on the farm for a late Christmas celebration.  None of us know anything about archery technique but Georgia seems to have developed a style that works for her.   


 Her father always encourages competition.



It's easier to photograph than most sports my family like to play; if only I could train them to release on my count of two!  And it made for entertaining family games.  Don't you love the target?  You probably can't make out the turkey (30 points) and rabbit (50 points).  I had visions of an arrow going straight through the board and piercing a tyre on the quad bike that was propping it up but all was well.   


Ahh, spending some time remembering those lovely, happy family gatherings has soothed me. 

15 comments:

  1. It looks fun. What are all the pulleys for. I've never seen a bow like it.

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  2. You will have to bag the cats and take them far away, if not to an animal shelter. They will soon have kittens to feed and get even more birds.

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  3. Watching you guys play is pure fun :)
    But hearing about all those cats is no fun at all. I love cats - but not the straying kind...
    【ツ】Knipsa

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  4. They should have a feral cat on the target and then when they are accurate send them out for the live ones. I can understand your feelings. I hate the cats in our neighbourhood that mate and fight and pooh in my garden. And I don't think that they are feral just badly managed.

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  5. You have a great topic this morning...impatience. We can waste a lot of energy by being impatient. Yes, there's always something that can cool us down. Now look after those chickens!!!

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  6. I'm impatient about lots of things I can't control - I need to work on that!
    Archery has to be one of the most physically attractive/flattering sports!

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  7. Well there's a certainly a photography challenge for you, trying to get a perfect shot of the perfect shot! :)

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  8. What a great present - something one can play with alone or as a family. I hope Georgia gets many happy hours out of it.

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  9. Archery is fun, although i'm no good at it.

    Poor cats -- they have to eat, but when they are left to run wild and destroy farm animals, something has to be done, Said something is seldom pleasant for anyone involved, either.

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  10. Hello Pauline,

    Now in this post you mentioned patience, feral cats and archery!
    Need I say any more, hope the feral population is declining soon!!!

    Happy days.
    Bev.

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  11. oh dear on the feral cats. i'm afraid trapping is in order.

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  12. I think Adrian it's a compound bow. The main difference between a compound bow and a recurve bow is the eccentric cam attached to each limb. As the bow is drawn, the cam rotates and compresses the limbs. But when the cam approaches the fully drawn position, the holding weight decreases sharply. As you might be able to tell I have taken up bows and arrows for the winter because I can't play croquet this winter here in Scotland.

    Pauline the feral cats are a nuisance down in HB as well and, of course, if you are scratched by one then the wound can necrotise (as one of my neighbours who used to feed them thinking she was being kind discovered.) Generally speaking when they become a problem a local farmer will bring his shotgun and despatch them. They do far too much damage to the local indigenous fauna once they become feral.

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  13. Your archers look very accomplished Pauline!
    Mm, the ferals will breed me-thinks. and breed some more.....oh dear.

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  14. Cats are usually a people problem -- not caring for them or even abandoning them in rural areas.

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