3 am in the Shire (and Saving a duck from becoming fox breakfast)

I wake up. I think it's time to get up; I feel well rested.  My watch says 1 am. 

 !#$@$%%@#%@^!

Since I'm not travelling alone this time, puttering around the room and the internet is not a good idea, so I lie down in bed again after eating a cookie.   I actually fall asleep again and wake up at 2 am. 

!@#%!#$!  Cookie magic doesn't work this time around so I get up at 2:30 am.

A quick check of the relevant web-sites reveals the times for day, night, civil twilight, nautical twilight, and astronomical twilight.  Proper NIGHT never even happened tonight nautical twilight darkened to astronomical twilight, which will brighten to nautical twilight again at 3:30 am.

Coool, time to test out the new camera in twilight ;-)

Yes, this twilight cat is ALL BLACK.  Good thing I'm not superstitious ;-)

a typical Hobbit dwelling 

In the distance I see something crossing the road that looks like a coyote. But this is England, so it must be a fox!

Note the time ;-)

Then I hear some duck making continued loud quack quack noises. At 3:15 am????

I follow the noise and discover a pond.  And whom do I see standing at the side of the pond looking lustily at the quacking duck?  The FOX, who runs off when he sees me approaching. Lucky Ducky !!!!

a shady character in the Shire

Then it happens.  I look back the way I came just a minute ago and see something sitting (!) in the middle of the road, looking at me. At first I think it's a cat.

Just a minute ago I walked not 2 meters from the spot where it's sitting. A different FOX. And judging by its very tame and unnatural behaviour, this one has the RABIES.

I used to have nightmares as a kid running from foxes that were lurking in the woods.  And now I have one following me.