Never, When Ye Have A Camera ....!

  So; The Farrier was due up, this morning. Pat and I herded Rosie and the donkeys into the crush pen and were just sort of hanging around, kicking stones. Then Pat says; " What's that? Up the track ~ Hare? " 

  I stepped out and had a squint. Hard to make out what the fuck it was, to be honest. Hundred bloody yards away, with my eyes. But, yeah, I managed to discount Piney or fox. When it finally loped off, it was clearly a hare.

  Lovely to see one's back. Haven't seen one in years. Not that I've been out looking. But, there it was. Random, chance meeting. Nice.

  Farrier came. Nice young lad. Very good with the horses. Fast. Thorough. Efficient. But, patient and gentle. Well and truly earned his €60.00 in an hour. And that was including the dash to the van, when the monsoon hit.

  Anyway; Horses back in the meadow. We all went our ways. I got back to manning my Potter Traps and hammering the chaffie flocks. Nipping out to fetch them in. Ringing. Recording. Photographing, for my boss to check.

  At 20:00, this evening, I processed what would be todays last few chaffies. Put my ledger, scales and camera in their proper places, for tomorrow. Carried the three traps back out to my spot.

  And saw the hare, bounding across the top of the meadow, past the horses! How delightful! Not only had she stayed around. She'd come down onto 'my' land. Right where I'd been admiring a wild, cock pheasant, only a couple of hours ago.

 But, wait! She wasn't stopping! She came under the tape and was heading down my way! Hundred and twenty yards. Now, closing fast! Fuck!

  I'd stood up, from placing the traps. Now, I stood straight and still. Trying not to allow our eyes to meet. And in she came. Gently zig zagging. At times heading directly at me!

  I could barely believe it was happening. I wondered if she'd just run across my feet! Then, barely twenty foot away, almost parallel with me, in the meadow, she stopped.

  She sat up and looked straight at me. Light, chocolate brown little thing. (Believe me; Ye'll never appreciate an Irish Hare till ye've actually seen one, in the flesh. In Eire.)    

  And I felt the emptiness of my fucking fleece pocket! Why hadn't I just slipped that fucking camera into my pocket?! Using it all day. Now, now that I could desperately do with it ....!

 And she dropped back down. Turned. And loped off, back up the way she'd came. Exited the meadow and fucked off round the corner, at the top of the track.Back to where she'd been, earlier.

  Sorry I've no photo's. Nothing to do with ye not believing me otherwise. I'd just so like to have personally shown ye one of these weird little, chocolate  brown, rabbit like things we just call 'Irish Hares'.