Life in Autumn

[zcat_abroad]

I keep meaning to say how pretty autumn is this year (that's fall, for you good folks in the US of A). We don't see much of the leaf-colour thing around our house, 'cos it's all natives (which all seem to be evergreen) but on the drive in and out of Laingholm there are some beautiful patches of oak, maple and other pretty British trees. The very cold snap we had at the beginning of the month has created a great show. The rain has been nice to hear, and the sunny days very blue, but with a bite of cold in the shadows. And there are leaves to scuffle in on Symonds St.

The fantails have been having fun around our house. I remember when we arrived here, nearly a year ago, there were lots of fantails, and then they disappeared over summer. They're back with a vengence - which I say because, here I am, trying to get my marking done, and they're flirting with me outside the window. So I put down the marking (never a difficult act), grab my camera, and try to get a good shot. Problem is, these guys pull amazingly tight turns, and move very fast. But I succeeded today, and here's the best shot.
This is a young fellow, who I first saw when his tail was barely half an inch long. Now it's about an inch and a half, on a bird about the size of a sparrow. They're fearless. This guy was playing with me, barely half a metre away, while I potted up my strawberries over Easter, and all the while death, in the form of Mynx, waited quivering in the grass.
Maybe to a bird-brain, that's a good camouflage.

That same Mynx brought in a mouse last night. Lost it under our bed at 3am. Then caught it again, and sat growling with it in her mouth. Like we were going to steal it from her! Very unreasonably, we forced her to take it outside. Horrible humans, couldn't they see it was wet out there? Having shut the cat-door on her, I then lay awake, jumping at the first suggestion of something that might be a cat crying to be let in. Eventually, zcatcurious got up and opened the cat-door, and the cat returned, apparently sans mouse. Later, she must have gone back for it, because there was a small brown carcase beside the computer this morning. Having done her job for the day, Mynx proceeded to spend the entire day on the bed - well over 12 hours straight. I was worried for a while, until she tried to eat me when I went to stroke her. Apparently mouse-hunting is exhausting - I wouldn't know, being just an ignorant human.

I got the marking finished today - and spread it out in piles, and counted, re-read, and sorted. I think I'm happy with the marks allotted, but I'm not sure the students will be. Ah, well. The next lot of essays should be more fun, both for them to write, and me to read.

But now I have no excuse not to get on with my thesis stuff. This month - track down all Latin lives of Etheldreda, and read them. This will mean translating, though thankfully there are very few which are as heavy going as Gregory of Ely, which I've been going through slowly all year. I think I have a few which need transcribing, which is always a challenge, as the scribes used a lot of abbreviation marks, and my Latin is not always good enough to know what they meant.

Work, for the night is coming. Actually, the night is here, so I'm off to bed now. Gym and tutorials tomorrow, not necessarily in that order.