The Mobilisation of Magpies

Funny how my legs ache less today, after a whole week of running everyday, than they did last week when I'd run a fraction of the distance! Still, I'm obviously not complaining!

As I would usually have had a rest day today, I set off for a recovery run with my dog. Although it wasn't as easy as that, as for some reason, Doris was holding back; she didn't seem to want to step outside. 'Very odd' I thought, as it's not like her to shun a run! Anyway, I coaxed her out the door, and once we were out she seemed to get into the flow of things; as did I.

With Doris seeming a little off, I let her off the lead once we reached the park, and we agreed not to run around, but instead to explore the scenery and take time to absorb the beautiful day. "Ruff" acknowledged Doris as she set off to sniff some new surroundings, letting me know she appreciated a more relaxed approach.  Happily snuffling around the edge of a brook, taking a curious look at all that surrounded her, Doris suddenly stopped completely still... "gggrrrrrrr" she murmurred, "gggrrrrrrr".

Looking around, I was confused as to what had caught her attention; there didn't seem to be anything there.

"What's wrong girl?" I asked.

"Ruff, Ruff...Ruff." She replied. Leaving me, of course, none the wiser.

Her attention grabbed by something else, she skittered off to have a good old sniff in some more undergrowth; I, however, couldn't forget what had happened quite so quickly. I knew they were following....

But they weren't.


"Good afternoon Mr Magpie"

Convinced the squirrels were on our tail, I drew us up out of secluded valley we were walking within, as quickly as possible, and out into the open. As we climbed up and out into the field, the bright sunlight obsured our vision, blinding us from what lay ahead. However, without the sense of sight, my hearing became more accute. A strangely familiar cackling sound came to my attention; 'Where have I heard that before?' I pondered. Still blinded by the sun, I traced the sound of the cackling to its origin: A magpie.

It was then that I realised why the sound seemed so familar. The same sound had been present when Doris had been reluctant to leave the house; again, we had heard the sound as we'd headed into the park; and again, down by the brook, that same cackle, almost disguised by the whisper of the water. It was then that I was reminded of the comment left by a fellow blogger, steveandkatyrun, yesterday:

'I am worried at the thought of the squirrels plotting our downfall. There are rather a few of them in our local park, and what if they enlist the help of other small animals?'

What if indeed... I looked at the magpie with a knowing look; a look that said 'I know'. The magpie looked back; we both knew. It was clearly time to leave the park and head back to the safety of civilisation. It seems the squirrels have begun to enlist; my advice to you would be to keep your pets close, treat them tonight and show them you care... we're going to need as many of them on our side when 'S Day' arrives! Oh, and watch out for magpies too!

Distance: 1.31 miles

Weather: bright and quite mild

Feeling: nowhere near as achey as I thought I'd be!

See my run here.