Friday 20 July 2012

Dear deer!

This is proving to be a troubling year for deer. After our daily walk the dog is now resigned to a careful body search for deer ticks. Oh, the relief when she can escape the inspection unscathed! Unfortunately all too often I have had to go to the cupboard for a tube of "Tick-off", a jar of Vaseline and a pair of tweezers. Maisie lies abject and cowed in her basket while I do my best to rid her of the beastly things. I'm not as worried when I find them on her body but they are  a concern when they are near to her eyes or her ears. She is an inquisitive little dog, pushing her nose into the wayside verges and hedges, so inevitably she is prone to ticks attaching themselves to her head. She is regularly dosed with Frontline but it doesn't seem to be very effective.

The roads on either side of our hamlet are home to many wild deer and a couple of times one has darted across the road before us when we have been driving home in the early hours.
We set off for Yorkshire last month and had been traveling for several hours when, on a quiet stretch of the motorway, an enormous deer leapt the central concrete barrier and with another great leap landed in front of our car.
It was heart stopping, literarily for the deer, and also, momentarily, for us. We felt lucky to be alive. The RAC brought us back home on a truck. I phoned Yorkshire to say we wouldn't be coming. The farmer's wife, ever the animal lover, asked, "Is the deer alright?" My brother said, "I hope you've filled the freezer." Friends gave what I felt was the most appropriate response, "You were lucky. Thank goodness you're alright."

The insurance company took their time to approve the repairs and we waited several weeks for the car to be returned. Four and a half thousand pounds worth of damage.
Dear deer indeed!

11 comments:

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    1. We shall be traveling to Yorkshire tomorrow - wish us an uneventful journey!

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  2. Rosemary, I am so happy you are okay. I am not for sure if you remember a deer hit me last November. I spent weeks dreaming of and thinking about the what ifs. I listened to the same responses. Neither the deer nor my car survived the accident. I am so grateful everyone riding in your car are okay.

    I do want to add I have missed seeing your posts lately. It was so good to log in and see you. (How far are you from Dublin?) Have a wonderful weekend. Bonnie

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    1. Although I have an Irish name (and Irish ancestry) I live a long way from Dublin, across the Irish Sea in the south-west of England. But there has been so much rain here this year that everything is looking a very 'Irish green'.
      I have a backlog of photos to post once I have learnt how to reduce my pixels! I was interested to see your visit to the botanic garden as I have just returned from the one in Oxford which was the first of it's kind in Britain, founded in 1621.

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  3. Gosh that was a close call.
    It's good that you were not hurt and that your insurance will be making things right for you.
    We have a deer problem here in our city and they do love munching my hostas and roses...the front garden is their salad bar!

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  4. Yes, that's just how we felt, Hostess. They are such beautiful creatures and I love to see them as they slip away from me in the woods or stand immobile in the fields as I walk by. But it's altogether another matter when they are eating plants or leaping in front of cars!

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  5. During the rutting season it is always difficult navigating the roads in my area. I have come close many times to hitting one.

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    1. Please keep missing them, I don't recommend the alternative!

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  6. Oh man. Hate that deer dart out like that. I'm always scanning for them driving at dusk too. Glad you were alright.

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  7. As you can imagine, we are now driving with a cautious eye to the landscape around us, not feeling quite as relaxed about any wooded stretch of road. We are all packed and ready to have another go at the journey up north. Here goes!

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  8. Thank you for visiting my blog! And I am so happy to discover yours. What gorgeous photos I have spotted on some of your recent posts. I look forward to following you now. Thank goodness you were alright after your mishap wit the deer!

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