A snail-pace stampede to breakfast averted

You could just about hear the roar of approval as slugs and snails dashed from their wet weather hideaways for my summery fruit and flower garden moments after a day or two of heavy showers ended.

Unwisely, the hungry critters weren’t keeping an antenna eye out for the gardener himself, just back from the gym, jaw dropping at the sight of the near-stampede from sheltering trees by the crowd of slippery thieves salivating in the rush for filched vegetarian breakfasts.

Heavy rain over the weekend had been welcomed by the garden and gardener, but not appreciated by those of the slug world.

Had the dash begun just ten minutes earlier, perhaps most would have made the greenery and the opportunity to hide and to feast.

A delicious dream dashed

Sad to report, the dream keeping the creatures clinging hungrily above the puddles was not to be realised.

Yes, a garden full of greenery, buds and flowers, developing apples and pears, and a tree of hazelnuts, waited only a few yards away. It promised to to keep them more than fat and well fed for the whole of the season. However, the rush had been spotted. And instead of paradise, scores were plucked out of the grass and destined now to land instead in a large rubbish bin.

The high-sided container would be travelling to pastures new very soon - though pastures of a less certain nature - by courtesy of council binmen expected at any moment. Continues on the blogs for my ocean adventure book, Sailing to Purgatory, at SailingToPurgatory.com