Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 659.

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Wuthering Dormice
(aka Bike)
Part 659
by Angharad
       
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“I ended doing three radio interviews and two TV ones.” I said as I sipped my tea.

“Do they pay you for them?” asked Si.

“Sort of, Erin was trying to screw a few pounds out of them.”

“Well, the ones we saw, looked quite good.”

“Did they?”

“Of course they did, I’ve recorded them, so you can judge for yourself.”

“Not tonight, I think I’ve had enough of studios and television.”

“Is there any more in prospect?” he asked.

“I’ve agreed to do Midweek in the next few weeks?”

“Oh, I like that programme.”

“Well you go and do it then and I’ll stay at home.”

“Very funny, it’s not me who’s made a film about dormice.”

“I tell you what, you can do the harvest mouse one, as long as you wear a bikini or a sexy top and shorts.” I smirked at him.

“Oh yeah, I know bugger all about dormice, let alone harvest thingies.”

“Harvest mice, I’ll write the script for you, all you have to do is look sexy and turn all the blokes on.”

“Cathy, I am over six foot tall, I have a broad hairy chest and fat hairy legs. I am not doing your next film period; never mind turning anyone on.”

“You turn me on,” I said.

“I’m pleased to hear it, but let’s face it, I’m a banker cum broker. I am not a television presenter or naturalist. I can just about tell the difference between a red deer and a stoat.”

“That’s more than some people can, mind you talking of stoats, there was one filmed in January or February dancing about in someone’s garden in Wiltshire, in the snow. It was really funny, he bounced about like a kitten.”

“I think I saw that, on the BBC?” said Simon smiling. It tended to indicate he had, it was just so funny. I’d love to have filmed something like that on dormice or in fact anything. We tend to think that only primates and carnivores play. Maybe other critters do too, which is difficult to say out loud because of the hostility of some religious lobbies who think only man has freedom of speech, word and deed.

As a man wrote the religious laws under which they practice, it strikes me as a problem awaiting a solution, and that until now, lip service is all that’s been contributed. The earlier goddess worshipping days were less coherent, because there was no written language in those days, least as far as we know there wasn’t.

Anyway, play is seen as one of the highest mental activities, yet we see it in many animals and birds, watching fox cubs or young badgers is like watching puppies or kittens playing–practicing their hunting and killing techniques. The crow family, seem to do things for the hell of it, and any one who has watched choughs flying will know immediately what I mean. They are amazing aerobats who appear to have fun flying.

I’ve seen two young peregrines chase a snipe–no mean flier itself–with little attempt to catch it, just a bit of tomfoolery, where they flew like they were jet fighters pursuing a heavier bomber. Presumably they were practicing their hunting, but it looked as if they enjoyed it too, hunting in a pair.

Dormice can climb like squirrels, possibly better because they are smaller and thus get onto smaller twigs and boughs. At times it can seem like they are having fun–although I’m aware this is all anthropocentric thinking, and I could be completely wrong, but I doubt it.

A film on wild animals at play, would be very entertaining, but I won’t mention it to Erin, she’ll be selling it before I’d made it, being the astute business woman who successfully traded our first film.

“So, are we going to bed to see if I still push your buttons?”

“I can’t think of anything better to do. Did Laura pick up Peaches?”

“Yep, she’d collected her before I got there, so we didn’t see anything of the fruity one.”

“Oh good, that means I don’t have to see her again tonight. She’s a nice kid but I have doubts about her mother. “

“Do you think she knows anything about your past?”

“If she does it will be because she heard it from the archives. C’mon, let’s go to bed, I’m shattered.” I was too, so after raising Simon’s hopes–I dashed them.

That night, I had a weird dream about Simon making a nature documentary film wearing my top and shorts and me getting very upset because he would stretch them if not destroy them altogether. I tried to make him stop, but he insisted he wore them for the filming, “after all you told me to wear them.”

Suddenly he was all the men’s pin up, replacing such stars as Susan Boyle and Lassie. I did say it was a weird dream. Then we were inundated with requests for his autograph from loads of men, some of whom were offering photos of themselves.

Finally, I managed to see Simon being offered a contract for Playboy, It might help with the weird dreams, or did they just get a whole lot riskier as he posed in my underwear in the centre pages.

The dreams continued even after the aliens attacked us in bed again, but these were more realistic and Simon was in bed with a giant dormouse. No not Giant the bikemaker, but a very large rodent–shades of Roger rabbit.

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Comments

That is funny

I've seen rabbits do that kind of thing. Can't imagine any survival reason for it beside just jumping for joy.

Video

It is still up as of today, 3/18/15.

Hugs
Gina

Did Cathy actually have a nice discussion with Simon

without getting angry? I think so! Maybe they are ready to be married.

Wierd dreams.

Also, did Cathy have a positive thought about doing another nature video? I think she did. May have denied it immediately, but the thought is there and cooking in her head. Surprised that didn't show up as a dream too.

Frolicking Stoats

T and I remember that film clip of the stoat frolicking in the snow with great pleasure. It was fabulous and thank you, Deejah, for giving the link; I meant to make a note of it when it first appeared. I have bookmarked it for (hopefully) future entertainment.

Weird dreams; do you think our Cathy should go and see her shrink again?

Hilary (and ’er upstairs asleep—she'd better be or there'll be trouble)

Otters too

I've seen otters doing something that could only be only described as play. It was at a wild life zoo near Matlock, now long gone, that also used to specialise in breeding lynxes. And anyone who's watched lapwings (aka Peewits) could easily be convinced that they enjoy flying their aerobatic manoeuvres.

Apart from the little rant, a relatively moderate episode and none the worse for that.

Geoff

Play is almost universal...

Puddintane's picture

Here, for ensample, are a dog and a polar bear playing with each other.

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/play/audioga...

Still pictures only, I'm afraid, but very moving.

Here's an article which finds it all very logical, but the man is an obvious plonk...

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1590/is_n14_v50/ai_15...

Puddin'
-----------
Horatio:
O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!

Hamlet:
And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
--- Hamlet Act 1, scene 5

-

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

I can see someone doing...

A comedy sketch on that dream of Cathy's... It IS kinda amazing, the things we think up in our dreams... Some are terrifying, at the time, but when you get around to describing them (after the fact) they can sound humorous. Others, seem funny at the time, but on later examination it's a "what the heck" moment. Then, there are all of the Wild & Crazy things. They say that, sometimes, we are working through some issues our sub-conscious has in our dreams. But, if that's the case, I wish someone would give my sub-c a good talking to, cause it's working WAY OVERTIME on some pretty STRANGE things now and again.

Thanks for another episode.

Annette

Coffee and Cheese

are two things guaranteed to give me vivid dreams{ if not nightmares,s}...But it sounds more like Cathy is just plain and simple overtired ,C'mon Simon give the girl a break get the family to the seaside, With this weather they'll love it!!!

Kirri

Apologies for the quality

Angharad's picture

of this episode, I actually fell asleep writing it and had to delete quantities of gobbledygook I'd obviously typed before I shut my eyes, which is why it's shorter than usual. I will endeavour to do better in the next one.

Angharad (now awake).

Angharad

Thanks for sharing

anyway. If you're too tired to write - please, get sleep. I'd be the last to say the story comes before your health! (Okay, maybe 2nd to last, after Bonzi. But Bonzi's thinking about a certain void in the abdomen that you're expected to provide filler for on a regular basis.)

Besides, this was more fun than most (if not all) of my scribblings, so I'll take what I can get. :-)

Annette

Bonzi is…

…probably quite capable of foraging for his own food, but probably will throw it up in some awkward place (like the middle of Angharad's bed) :(

Gabi

Gabi.


“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

Cats... Dangerous Downtown Dave

Puddintane's picture

I had a cat once that I'd rescued as a kitten from a snow bank who was so skilled and casual about throwing up that he several times managed to throw up into my hair as I lay sleeping.

It's not the happiest awakening.

He was Disgusting Downtown Dave for a while after each such incident, but he usually managed to redeem himself fairly quickly, as he was the most loving cat I've ever had, unsatisfied unless his head was next to mine, preferably close enough to share breath. I carried him around in a baby sling quite often, as he'd pester me to get "up" otherwise. He had a mental age of about sixteen months, as far as I could tell, although he had a lifelong speech impediment that precluded most standardised tests.

Cheers,

Puddin'

-

Cheers,

Puddin'

A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style

How 'bout a film on hedge hogs, they're cute.

Just thinking of dancing in the snow gave me a sore stoat, and made me a little horse, or was that a pony ?
Cathy meet Simon who is now a men's pin-up??
This sounds more like the literary assistant Whizz, not Bonzi .

Cefin