Bomble descending

My sunny Saturday breezed quickly by today. I went out with Bomble late in the afternoon to breathe some good air and potter in the garden, with the light still bright. Bomble was in playful mode having had a long sleep all day, building an even bigger appetite. He rushed about in high speed sprints of a few yards at a time, chasing invisible enemies. He joined me as I took the bird feeder down from the Rhus tree to refill it with sunflower seeds., with lots of flexing of his claws onn the bark of the top branches at head height. Then he rushed to the far end of the garden to the ivy covered big sycamore where he climbed up about twenty feet, leaping from limb to limb. He didn't stay long there either, as he had more territory to mark, before climbing onto the neighbour's shed, from where he could pretend to climb into the middle of a big overgrown shrub. Within seconds I saw about fifteen goldfinches fleeing out of the bush higher up onto another ash tree, were they re-grouped with a bit of their typical chatter.

I walked back up the garden and Bomble came running past and leapt on to the six foot fence from where he jumped up across onto the roof of the cabin. He raced around murmuring his little cat talk, which he seems to reserve for humans, then came to the corner of the roof to stare down at me before dashing round in circles again. I anticipated his descent and went behind the cabin as he leapt across to land on the top of this fence post. Helena has just reminded me that I'd commented to her this morning about how delicate Bomble can be when he manoeuvres, his paws knowing exactly where to tread in the tiniest spaces.

Soon afterwards, Neil arrived for a chat and a catch up. He lives a few doors down the road and we met recently through my interest in his archaeological research in the local valleys. He is looking for evidence of old land use over time, particularly old mills, in the valley behind the house. I am a complete amateur and more of a landscape enthusiast, whereas Neil is fully trained. He showed me maps of the valley from 1690 which he has found in the local Records Office in Gloucester, amongst lots of old vellum documents. He is going to let me see some of the results and later we will go for a walk up to the Heavens, the old deer park and the old open-field systems high up on the flat tops of these Cotswold hills. Something stimulating to look forward to, at least for someone like me.