Features

Otter

I live in the new city of Milton Keynes, the much-maligned concrete jungle, famed for placing concrete cow sculptures in the fields adjoining the railway line, thus ensuring that a reputation for (shall we say a lack of authenticity) spread throughout the nation.

I fact, our visitors are regularly surprised to find that the amount of open space available for public use, together with a wide variety of wildlife which has made its home in it, is counter to the image that the city is seemingly forever saddled with.

Within a two-minute walk of my front door is a splendid lake, much loved by local walkers, lunchtime joggers and anglers alike. It teems with numerous species of waterfowl, including herons and egrets and one can often spot kingfishers along the neighbouring stream.

Late on Friday evening, the 31st March, my wife had retired to bed to continue reading her book and I elected to ‘catch-up’ with some recorded TV in the quiet of our living room. At around 11.30pm I heard a definite bump, outside the window. The garden was in total darkness but such was the noise that I felt someone must surely have been trespassing outside.

I discreetly got up and walked through, into the kitchen, again in total darkness and positioned myself next to the back door to await the intruder. We have a large wooden deck, raised some twelve inches from the perimeter pathway and as I waited, hand on the door handle a dark low shape moved, skirting the decking.

Relieved and a little disappointed so see that my intruder was of the feline variety, I relaxed as the dark shape disappeared under our side garden gate. I decided it was time for me to turn-in and, as is customary for me, I went to the front door to glance out the adjoining window to survey the cul-de-sac. And then!..........

Straight outside the front door, slowly, inspecting the low wall, proudly strode an otter!

Not a cat, weasel, polecat, stoat or anything else remotely similar (my head running through all these possibilities in a moment) but a rather large otter!

I called to my half-asleep wife to come and look but needless to say by the time she appeared by my side the ‘intruder’ had dropped from view and out into the night.

The following day, still intrigued by seeing such a secretive animal in a domestic garden, I was informed by my wife that another MK resident had reported on a local social media platform, seeing an otter close to our nearby lake, a far more typical environment.

I decided that I should do the same, only to realise after posting my entry that the date might have given the wrong message being April 1st!! So, a serious affirmation to the contrary was hastily required.

Whether the intruder will reappear is anyone’s guess but I hope that this time I will have a camera at the ready.

Graham Sherwood

Other stories in Features

Bomber Command
Cropredy – the friendly festival
Cricket Summer of 1964
Heroes in the Mountains
1974, the strangest of years
Motorbike at the National Motor Museum
June's book reviews
Royal robes
Peter Sellers’ Aston under the hammer
National Bingo Day 27th June 2023
Hen Harriers
Air up
Simon Evans reviews the latest CDs
April’s Top DVDs selected by Simon Evans
Here we go, here we go…for the Coronation
Easter on a budget
‘The Slug’ will race again after 100 years
Bath night for dogs
Classic Motoring Memories
Tios Drinks
Shake up your makeup
New Year, New You
From Italy with love
Mail-order meat comes of age
Christmas recipes
Christmas Crafts Part 2
Back to your roots
In your garden in Winter
Christmas Crafts
Christmas Gift Ideas
Vegan Skincare
Recipes for hope
Beauty Feature - Embrace the grey
Calling all coffee fans!
World Oceans Day 8th June
Beauty Feature - Feet First
Craft Corner - A great Easter basket
Battle of Britain
Claire Foy "I didn't get life until I was 32"
Alexander Armstong: "My family is my priority"
Cosyfeet Community Award 2019
How to Maintain Your Independence in the Kitchen
Ruth Wilson "Audience's don't know who I really am"
1969: The Year The Dream Died
Want to live the (Feel)Good Life? Move to Watford
Pressures of the sandwich generation
Steve Coogan"The most radical thing I can do is talk about love"
Oldie of the Year 2019
Rabble: The Movement keeping you fit and making you money!
Suzi Quatro: "I've always been a rocker at heart"
Giving up plastic
Women in WW1
Do you remember? UFO
Bognor and other Regises
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: 'Imagine'
Bill roache "It's a real privilege to make people happy"
Nana Mouskouri "Music brings me peace, love and hope"
How to Earn Money by Working from Home
How to get the best night's sleep, every night
Ringo Starr "I'm learning to handle life"
Headphones with a built in hearing test
Petula Clark: "I make the most of every moment"
London's other underground
Blue Peter: Here's one they made earlier
Gary Oldman: "Acting is an antidote to self hatred"
Emilia Fox: "I've learnt to find my own voice"
Love Your Gut Week Recipes
Puffin photos help to tackle decline of the 'clowns of the sea'
Craig Revel Horwood: "I don't care what people say about me"
Do you remember? Apple Records
What a Carry On!
Worried about being worried?
"I feel like the unluckiest person in the world."
Death of a Princess
Queen Elizabeth: Happy and Glorious
The Beatles: It was 50 years ago...
Hank Marvin: “Meeting Cliff changed my life”
Nicole Kidman "Children are the joy of my life"
The world of Parry Ray
Monty Python: Something completely different
Staffordshire Day
I always think I'm going to get found out
All shook up...The day that Elvis died
Twiggy: "I thought the world had gone mad"
Peter Capaldi: "I like characters who are strange"
Make eating breakfast a resolution which sticks, with milk&more
"Turning 60 can't be that bad!"Jennifer Saunders
The Enduring Power of the Unknown Soldier
Bradley Walsh "Variety is great for the soul"
Thank you, Brewood
"You never know what's round the corner"
1966 and All That
Remembering the Heroic Olympians
Martina Navratilova: "I Always Question Authority"
Guide for choosing clothes for older relatives
Getting older and disabled drivers behind the wheel
Men in Sheds
Scared to Shop!
Over 40s Named Most Successful Online Daters
Stay at home mum and author re-ignite's her career
Dating in later Life
Great garden getaways
Toton Engineman Review
The Making of Les Mis
“I’m a restless person by nature”
"We’re such country bumpkins”
Still time for tearooms
Hallowed hall of fame