Winding down the week
Sunday afternoon: In a village in Oxfordshire, England
After the stressful dealing with the bulls in Spain, I am relaxing in the afternoon sun in the garden—with my new companions, Jeff the tortoise and Ella the cat.
The two of them are true adventurers. Ella, with her four light-colored paws, spends most of her time roaming outdoors, coming inside only to sleep and announcing with a loud meow whenever she has an appetite for something other than dry food.
Jeff is the first tortoise in my care. He lives in a heated wooden enclosure with a glass front—which, in my view, is too small, but that is beyond my control.
When I place Jeff in the grass for his daily “walk,” he inevitably marches into the undergrowth and disappears beneath the green foliage, where his patchwork shell conceals him like camouflage gear. I can only track him by the rustling of the leaves, which also shift slightly as he brushes against them. I now take Jeff out for his “walks” twice a day. He’s just a cool little guy.
This text was first published on my German website and translated by me.