Out at last

Well, they finally let me out on my own - well actually, truth be told I refused to be "collected" at the end of the day.  My human carers were a bit busy with a couple of parties that they had on in Ring's Restaurant on Saturday night (a surprise 30th party, alongside a surprise 60th), so it was a bit dark and I took the opportunity to scarper to the Island with my new friends.  (I have now decided that I am a white duck and therefore am hanging out with my soul mates).    The humans have not yet relaxed about me being out and keep coming out and counting us all, just to make sure I am here..... but so far so good, it is a bit chilly but I have plenty of feathers now so am managing fine.

We did have some fun watching a kids party this weekend - 10 or so boys were playing laser tag in the garden and woods - you should have seen them when they finished, they were plastered in mud, so much so that the ladies in the restaurant made them take their shoes off before going in for their birthday teaparty.  They were all pretty happy though!  And I thought we enjoyed the mud.........

Lucky or what?

I was born just before Christmas 2009. The ice was thick on the pond and there was very limited swimming for the other ducks, with snow on the ground and only one small area of "water" around the waterfall of the top pond.

Frankly, I should not be here at all - it was far to cold for me, but my Mum is a young duck who is very inexperienced at this baby duck stuff! She turffed me out of the warm duck house and i felt my feet freezing into the ice so thought it was all over.....until a large blue net fell over my head and I was rudely picked up and pushed down the front of an anorak by a person heard to say "well you have no chance, but let's see".

It all began there really - from the anorak to the top of the Aga in a plastic box, then graduating to a cardboard box with an electric lightbulb to keep me warm. Occasionally I had a run around the kitchen floor and swam in the sink to give me something to do. The food was pretty good and the company "interesting". Since December I have grown into a white duck (they tell me I am an "Aylesbury") and have got too big for the sink and ended up swimming in the bath twice a day.

As to the company - besides the humans I have met three large dogs - one wants to play with me, one wants to sit and watch while the golden one wants to eat me, but we have come to an understanding on that now I am glad to say! The cat was initially a worry, but she seems pretty "chilled" now and we can walk about in the same room by pretending to ignore each other.

The big event last week was a move to outside - I now spend my days with the other ducks on the pond and I love it. Still not really sure whether I should hang out with the "commoners" (they call them mallards!) or stick with the white ducks but I'm sure I will work it out in time. The white ducks seem to have the craft centre customers better trained, as they come out when required with bread for us, so will probably stick with them.

At the moment I am being taken back to the comfort of the Aga at night as it is still cold but I am looking forward to partying on the islands with the others shortly.

During the day there is plenty to watch and see from the gardens and ponds. This week for instance there has been a man running "have a go" sessions for laser shooting (including Laser Tag and Laser Clays) as well as Archery. I will certainly keep well away from this, even if they are not real bullets!