All creatures great and small

Last night we had a positive infestation of Daddy Longlegs in the house - they were everywhere.  Dive bombing me in the kitchen when I was trying to get supper ready and one even tried to get in the bath with me! When I got into bed there were about 12 of them in the room but seeing as they are pretty harmless I decided to leave them be since they were mostly just dangling from the ceiling and we didn't have the energy to try and get them out.  Ella and Izzy (our dogs) decided to help by catching and eating any that swooped in low!   Once the lights were off all I could hear was a buzzy fluttery sound coming from around the room - not overly condusive to a good nights sleep!  I did eventually nod off only to be woken with a start just before 4.00am by a very weird screeching noise which went on for about ten minutes and caused both Izzy and Ella to jump up to the window to investigate (yes I'm afraid they do sleep in the bedroom!).  I suspect it may have been a fox possibly having a go at next doors cat "Bosley" because when I got up to have a look myself the PIR outside light next door had come on indicating that he had made a run for it back home and in through the catflap.  Poor old Bosley doesn't have much luck - there's a massive wild ginger tom cat who calls round on many an evening during the summer to pick a fight with him - we're often awoken by the growling and snarling which signals the start of these fights and then will find huge chunks of cat fur in the garden the next morning - his owners tell me he even had to go to the vets the other week to have a claw removed from his head.  Given that the ginger tom is so much bigger than Bosley I can't help worrying about him, particulary since he's getting on a bit now, and usually get up and shout out of the window to try to scare them off but it doesn't often work.  Once all the fuss had died down I finally managed to drop off again only to be awoken at just after 6.00am by a lorry going down to the farm - it wouldn't wake me if they drove straight past but they sit outside the window with the engine running whilst they struggle with the combination lock on the gate (necessitated by the fact that 3 tractors were stolen from the farm in the dead of night last year).  At this point I gave up and got up to take the girls for their morning walk. And they say life is quiet in the country - I think I'll have to keep the windows shut tonight!