And foxes played

I took this photo from my Dad’s dining room on a very chilly, January morning in 2022. I knew there were foxes around but to see these two play in the long grass was very lovely; it wasn’t always the case. Growing up, I remember being very excited to discover a hedgehog in the garden but foxes, I think, were rare. Back then, the garden was neat and tidy, and there’s a main road on the other side of the house; the windows rattle from lumbering lorries and screeching sirens are the norm, and yet - here these two beautiful creatures now rolled around playfully in the winter sunshine. Of course, foxes play an important role in the story of Grandad’s Garden. Their ability to adapt to built up areas is well-known but still their presence in the garden intrigued me; they felt safe here, as did the prowling cat and the robin that would sit on the bird bath, now overgrown with ivy and moss. Grandad’s Garden was home to all these  creatures. I think it’s very easy to frown at an overgrown garden - what a mess - but if you look closer, and wait…you just might be lucky enough to glimpse a little magic.