Exotic delights in a cold climate

ACROSS the stream, in a big field which, unfortunately, fills more full with Japanese knotweed and ragwort every year, we regularly see a man taking his children, a small terrier and a black-and-white cat for a walk.

Walking with cats is novel, even in West Cork, but it seems the animal greatly enjoys the outings and may be seen bouncing along through the grass, stopping to explore briar brakes and rabbit burrows and then running to catch up with the group.

When we were in the Sierra Nevada in Spain last winter, we saw a golden eagle cruising above the cats sunning themselves on the flat roofs of our local village. A golden eagle is a huge bird and would need a lot of larks or linnets to keep it going so it hunts larger prey. In a dog’s dinner of metaphors, I wondered if, for an eagle, a cat a day might keep the wolf from the door.