Act Naturally

I've just been watching two magpies mobbing a lone crow, dive-bombing it and generally harassing it until it flew away, when they followed it. Horrible. It almost makes me regret setting one free when I discovered it trapped in a cage with a dead chicken. Cruelty begets cruelty, but you don't have to be sucked in. Otherwise I've been up a ladder hacking at my wisteria and trying to bring it under control. The galloping postwoman became a leaping one when she had to overcome various tangled obstacles to get to the front door. Such a nice natured woman, unlike the magpies, always smiley and friendly though she does her round at top speed. The weather forecast for today was bitter winds sweeping across the country from Russia, but so far there's barely a breeze and it's nice and warm. I started out with fleece, scarf and hat with earflaps, but one by one I had to strip them off. Next time I'll get down off the ladder first - I nearly came a cropper when I leaned back too far to shrug off my sleeves. I was only on the fourth rung but it felt like the dizzy heights when I teetered. I'm resigned to fewer wisteria flowers this year, but expect it to bloom exuberantly next spring. Sometimes you have to take one step backwards to move ahead again. Hear that wisteria?