In the still of the night at La Pasera

In the still of the night when we are asleep, the garden continues to host an array of wildlife we rarely see or think about... What happens in your garden at night?

As dusk falls, the birds call out the end of the day before roosting in bushes, trees and crevices. The bats take flight and feast on the abundant mist of midges, flies and moths and the owls fly low from perch to perch in search of mice, voles and frogs. The frogs begin their chatter and the toads sing out loud announcing their presence to passing mates. Meanwhile the snails and slugs exit their daytime refuge and take advantage of the cooler air and dew that settles on the grasses and plants, easing their journey to feast on luscious greens and petals.

Excitement grows for Wentworth and Gawber as they tune in to the music of the night. A rustle here, a flutter there, a call in the distance, both Wentworth and Gawber finely tune their senses to ensure their safety and maintain their territory. A large male stag beetle signals its presence with a loud whirring noise as it navigates the garden only to be chased by two curios and playful cats.

Every so often we sit in the darkness on the terrace and experience the sounds and sights of the night. It is amazing to think that within a few meters, creatures great and small are feeding, travelling to and fro and, on constant alert for friend or foe. It is clear that we only ever experience a fraction of the abundance of life that uses our garden.

Here is a short compilation of night-time infrared videos filmed in the wildest parts of our plot. It features, badgers, deer, fox, pine marten, hedgehog, wild boar, a raton and of course, cats. When we view the films we can often see the reflections of curious cats eyes watching from a distance. The final scene is a lovely reminder that our domesticated cats bridge the life in the garden we know and the life we rarely catch a glimpse of...

They're only cats...

We've had a difficult few days with Wentworth (Black) and Gawber (Tabby) the cats. About 10 days ago Wentworth came home from his daily wanderings and was obviously sore on his tail and whimpered whenever we went near him. This is a sure sign he had been in a fight with another cat during his nightly adventures. This isn't the first time he has had such problems and we are very used to the process of bite, abscess formation, localised hair loss, abscess bursting, cleaning, scab formation and healing. This time it was a bit different.

After three days the abscess grew and grew, hair loss was significant in and around the bite/s and Wentworth became subdued and generally unwell. It was clear from the amount of scratches on his body and from closer inspection of his tail, that this time it had been a significant fight and he was suffering much more than usual; a trip to the vets was indicated. On examination he had three puncture wounds on his tail and three abscesses. He was given antibiotic cover and a pain killer before having them drained and flushed out with hydrogen peroxide. With instructions to remove the scabs as they formed and continue to drain any puss formation we took him home, grounded him and continued with the treatment regime. Poor little thing (he is only very slight for a male cat), he was very sore and hated our interference with his very inflamed tail. With regular anti-inflammatory medication and wound cleansing his tail began to heal.

We became concerned that despite healing well, he was sleeping for much more than usual and he had developed very watery eyes, sneezing and a build up of mucus in his upper respiratory tract. Apart from the odd bit of yogurt and water, he wasn't eating. We did some research and talked to the vet and concluded that it could be a viral infection passed on from the cat which he had fought with. The antibiotics would give him cover for any subsequent bacterial infections so it was just case of tender loving care and wait and see. Unfortunately we suspected that if it was viral, Gawber, his brother, was also at risk. Sure enough two days later Gawber started becoming unwell.

At first he just seemed to have a bit of a cough and would sit with his neck slumped and his mouth open. He went off his food and wouldn't drink. It was weekend and by the Sunday we were really concerned for his prognosis without intervention, so the emergency vet was called. On examination Gawber was found to have an extremely inflamed pharynx resulting in difficulty swallowing, a lot of pain and respiratory difficulties. Injections of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications were given. With instructions to contact the vet if he should deteriorate, we set about trying to keep him hydrated and comfortable along with his brother Wentworth. When ill, cats can deteriorate very quickly.

Gawber's condition deteriorated rapidly and on Monday we took him back to the vets where a decision was made to give him a stat dose of steroids by injection. It was a worrying 24 hours and distressing to see him gasping, vomiting and extremely subdued. Thankfully he began to show signs of improvement by Wednesday and began to voluntarily drink water. He is now back eating soft food and beginning to recover well as is Wentworth. They both now have runny noses, weepy eyes and frequent sneezing but are doing well. We've been back to the vets today and she is pleased with Gawber's progress. With a couple more weeks of TLC, good food and a few extra vitamins there is no reason why they shouldn't make a full recovery.

They're only cats... This has been said in one of several forms a few times over the years by a few people who really should know better. To set the record straight, the cats are not children substitutes, they are not pampered or spoilt, they are not treat better than humans neither are we wasting money on good quality food, shelter or care. We took the decision to take on the responsibility for the guardianship of two independent, domesticated animals. To us they are not pets, playthings or trophies, they are fascinating, intelligent, graceful and endearing creatures who require us to act as their advocates when it is required. We owe them the best care and treatment we can provide and we will continue to love and respect them as unique and intelligent animals. In our opinion, if you are not prepared to work in this way with another animal, you really should stick to a life without one.

On a final note, whoever developed these multivitamin tablets for cats has obviously never product tested adminstration....

Come rain or shine, there is work to be done...

We've had a couple of weeks of very mixed weather here in Asturias. One day bright sunshine and the next, torrential rain, hail and strong winds. There is snow in the mountains but at least here on the coast, that never causes us problems apart from the chill factor. The fields around us are flooded, there are several trees down and on the coast there has been damage to the promenades and tonnes of wood has been brought down stream in the swollen rivers and has now been deposited on the beaches.

It is always depressing to see such a large volume of plastic amongst the wood on the beach. Why can't people just dispose of water bottles and such, responsibly rather than just tossing them into the void that is apparently also their brain?

The rain in Asturias is relentless at times. Last week we had around 106 litres of rain (per square meter) with most of that coming down in short sharp bursts.

At this time of year we try and coppice the hazel that borders our land on the north side. We have a fence that was installed when the house was built sited just inside of an old limestone wall that has now fallen into disrepair; this wall is the actual boundary. One day we will restore it and remove the fence. About half way along, this wall becomes a retaining wall for our garden which drops down nearly two meters into the field below - hence the name La Pasera meaning the stepping stones. Along this dividing wall, hazels are prolific and thick but provide something of a wind-break from the storms that hit the north coast from the Atlantic and bay of Biscay. Never-the-less they need keeping in check or they become too impenetrable and a nuisance. We are about half way through now and when the weather allows we will continue behind the shed and compost bins. The coppiced wood will be chopped, left to dry and used for firewood or for plant supports in the garden.

In between the storms we have made a start on thinning out the hazel and where possible just leaving a few main branches to break the wind and prevent damage. The cats love the coppiced hazel and spend their time pouncing on the dried catkins, scent marking the twigs by rubbing their noses along the length and hiding from each other amongst the piles of cuttings ready to pounce when the opportunity arises.

On wet days, Wentworth and Gawber take refuge inside but use every opportunity on finer days to explore the surrounding fields and cuetos (rocky outcrops) in search of mice and lizards. Come rain or shine, there is always work to be done.

Restoring a garden bench and making a rustic one from recycled material

We like sitting in the garden. Typically the weather allows us to use the garden much more than when we were in the UK. We have various areas dotted around where we sit and watch the natural world go by.

Some years ago I came across an old wrought iron bench that was in urgent need of repair. The wooden slats were rotten and the wrought iron had broken and was in need of welding (not an easy job).

After sitting around gathering dust, we managed to get it repaired by Luis' brother-in-law and we sourced some new hard-wood slats which we treated with white spirit and linseed oil. A coat of paint and with new slats fitted, it looks great and is a welcome addition to the terrace.

The other bench we made this week was from a discarded beam someone had dumped on the roadside. We cut it in half, fastened it together with a couple of metal plates either end and stood it on two old terracotta chimney pots we have had lying around for some time.

This week we also decided to site the mosaic coffee table Luis made several years ago. He now needs to get on with making a couple of matching mosaic pedestals on which to stand it, in the mean time bricks will do.....

Plans for 2014

Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday we were packing away the Christmas decorations this time last year. We are looking forward to the coming year and hope to make new ideas and plans come to fruition both personally and here at La Pasera. We tend not to make new year resolutions because we believe that if you really want to do something you will eventually find a way and create the right environment in which to do it.

2014 will bring a push to finish the hard landscaping in the garden. We are nearly there but still a bit more to do on the large terrace and the driveway but we will get there once the weather improves a little.

We will also install a raised bed around the raspberry and blueberry bushes. It will mean lifting the bushes and refining the soil structure but it really does need doing as the bushes are not doing too well at all. The garden will of course need regular input and growing our own fruit and vegetables will be a regular but welcome activity.

Luis will continue with his mosaics and has a couple of commissions in the pipeline. He is currently busy with a Byzantine-style mosaic called Prometheus. Here is a sneak peek...it's looking great and will be a fairly large mosaic once finished. This is the reverse.

I will continue writing and aim to add more short stories to the Smaller tales and tittle tattle blog. This year I have also resurrected my interest in making music. Having been in bands 30 years ago, the urge to make some kind of music has never left me. At the moment I am experimenting and learning the new software that drives my Axion keyboard. The link to my sound cloud stream can be found below, only three tracks so far but more on the way including vocals but not necessarily mine.. I'm enjoying learning the new techniques (for me) as the last time I composed anything I was using a Teac 4 Track cassette recorder...crikey. As with most things it's the process that is just as important as the end product if not more important.


I have a couple of things in the pipeline; web-based projects I want to develop so it will be a busy year in the making. Photography will remain a staple hobby for both of us as we use images such a lot in our respective blogs. A photograph can be so powerful in many ways.

Luis will offer another chair caning course in the early Spring. Several people have already made enquiries which is always a good sign. We've met some lovely people on the course, many keep in touch and it is always good to see how their skills are developing.

We will look forward to spending time with family and friends, walking the beautiful Asturian countryside, foraging and beach-combing, growing good food and hopefully enjoy good health. Wentworth and Gawber have grown and become established in their own routines and behaviours, a real joy to be part of... In the mean time we will enjoy the mixed weather, keep warm and make the most of our time.

The geese/cranes fly south

The weather has turned cold here in Asturias with snow on the mountains, rain on the lowlands and winds making their presence known as they travel east from the Atlantic through the Bay of Biscay. It has been a bit too wet to do very much at all in the garden but today the sun is shining bright and out of the shadows, the warmth is welcome. One bonus of the cooler weather is that the Acers are in full glorious colour and look wonderful.

We have been collecting leaves and composting them to make valuable leaf mould for next year. The green oats we have sown for green manure are sprouting and the vegetable garden is still producing a healthy crop of leeks, flower sprouts, endive, beetroot, celeriac, chard, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot and fennel. The early sprouting broccoli suffered early on with rot at the tips but has recovered a little.

The cats Wentworth and Gawber are spending increasing amounts of time indoors and it does not take them long to suss out if the fires are lit or not. This little clip shows them play fighting in the garden, taking the opportunity to enjoy the brief spell of sunny weather.

There is still plenty of wildlife activity in the garden with visits from the pine marten, many birds and insects. You can following the visiting creatures on our other supplementary blog Smaller tales from Toriello. 

Luis is back from Ravenna and in full scale mosaic production. Needless to say he is full of new ideas and energy and is currently finishing fish and water-lily mosaics for the terrace and a sculptural mosaic he started a few months ago. He is currently writing an article about his Ravenna trip for an online mosaic site which I will publish the link to when it is up and visible.

We have seen several formations of geese/cranes flying overhead but as is always the case, I never have the camera or right lens to hand when we spot them.  I did manage to get one not too clear photo and hope to spot them again soon...

footnote: a friend from France says these could be Gru (cranes) I think she might be right. What do you think?