Recovery mission all in an impromptu evening’s work

LAST Wednesday evening, just as Mum’s famed homemade rice pudding was reaching its final crucial stages, the phone rang.

On the other end of the line was my uncle, who, after exchanging pleasantries, said: “Can you come over? The ducks have gone on an adventure.”

It’s only a ten-minute drive from us over to St Dominic, so, having hastily scoffed our first course and abandoned the rice pudding for resurrection later, into the car we hopped – armed with the two cat carry cages.

On arrival, it soon became clear that Jemima, Joan Jett and Suzi Quacktro (the latter two continuing the rock star theme) had taken the recent lifting of bird flu ‘lockdown’ measures a little too enthusiastically.

Head drake Gordon, usually a stickler for order within the flock, had failed miserably to keep control of these three rebels, who had found their way into the neighbouring field. While the new stock fencing is serving its purpose for the ewes and lambs, it proved too much of a brain teaser for the ducks – cue the recovery mission! Judging by the almighty racket they were making, it wouldn’t have been long before Mr or Mrs Fox became aware of the ‘takeaway’ menu on offer for that evening.

Now if my dear border collie Jake had still been here, he would have relished the chance to do some duck herding (he’d have totally ignored the sheep), but instead it was down to us humans to gently guide the three loud chatterboxes into a corner and ‘pounce’. Thankfully it was a fairly swift and uncomplicated task, with just a few quick side steps and the odd lunge to get Jemima, Joan and Suzi safely into a carry cage and back home to their house, ‘Duckland Abbey’. Oh yes, we’ve thought of it all!

And after all that excitement, the rice pudding was also saved!