I extended an invitation to Twitter for tweet-size memories of personal encounters with FOX. I have collated them all, so far, into this blog and will publish more as I receive them.

Thank you to all those who have contributed words and images. Enjoy.

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Tiffany Francis
‏@tiffins11
@ginbat Used to live in dodgy south London estate & crept out to bins each night to feed meaty scraps to the foxes!

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Emma
‏@MrsEmma
@ginbat Dew-soaked grey morning, chilly, standing at the back door, cuppa in hand. Adult fox trots along the tow path. Heart skips a beat.

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Caerffilibirder
‏@grahamw15563450
@ginbat Will never forget the first time I saw fox cubs. Playfighting & rolling through bracken on an Abertridwr hillside in the early 1980s

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Ginny
‏@ginbat
@ginbat Years ago, I saw fox climbing the steepest field I know. Every time I pass it, I still look for him. Shut my eyes, I see him now. #fox

@ginbat
@ginbat Huge dog fox just padded past me in the wood, face like a red panda. Quiet and quick with each stride, long legs, thick tail. Breathtaking.

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Elizabeth Rimmer
‏@haggardherbs
@ginbat Fox
unseen, no footprint,
but the bitter smell lingers
on the morning’s frost.

also published by Eildon Tree

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Jayne
@Jayne_HT
@ginbat 2008. Fox cub ran into my parents’ conservatory, bit my Dad’s toe and ran out again. Vixen & 3 cubs lived behind Dad’s shed that yr.

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Helen Thompson
‏@HelenThompson66
@ginbat Fox and sheep companionably ignoring each other yesterday. Our cat is similarly unfazed by this fox.

‏@HelenThompson66
@ginbat Our cat has been seen sitting side-by-side with this fox for all the world as if they’re discussing the weightier issues of the day.

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Chris West
‏@littlerobbergrl
@ginbat on walk saw vixen with 4 cubs pouncing round her. 2 Months later, young fox playing in r plot. Fell in love, but scared her off :'(

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Jo Cartmell
‏@WaterVole
@ginbat An autumnal morning at dawn with dew-laden trees. Glistening brown, red & orange leaves and a russet fox sat on the brow of a hill.

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Chris WoodleyStewart
‏@NorthPennChief
@WaterVole @ginbat Far in Alaskan wilds on honeymoon. Resting, we turned to see a totally fearless young fox sat close by. His first humans?

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Elaine Douglas
‏@cetti19
@ginbat Our regular night time visitor

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Nick P. Williams
‏@TheFalconBirder
@B_Strawbridge @ginbat Radio-tagged male swam River Avon at Bristol. Took 3 nights & much running to witness him using I-I binoculars do it.

@TheFalconBirder
@B_Strawbridge @ginbat River c250m wide at selected crossing point but got dragged 850m downstream by tide. Sadly killed on road days later.

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Rob Cowen
‏@robbiecowen
@ginbat Chapter 1 of #CommonGround 😉 – one long encounter. This is a GREAT idea. x

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Helena Sanderson
‏@helwels
@ginbat @MrsEmma I’ve only ever seen two, and the memories are always very close to hand! 🙂

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Nicola Chester
‏@nicolawriting
Watching fox earth with son, summer before secondary school. Adolescent cub stalks out & cautiously, bravely past us

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Ock Viewer
‏@OckViewer
@ginbat late I noticed a fox looking at me when looking for otters we stared at each other until I broke the spell by trying to take a photo

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Hannah Boschen
‏@HannahBoschen
@ginbat walking along the road admiring a fiery sunrise & coming f2f with a fox. We made eye contact for a brief moment. Magical connection

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Gill Brown
‏@gillydormouse
@ginbat On a badger watch under an oak a fox came within a meter of my face and looked me in the eye for a split second before turning tail.

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Marion Malcher
‏@Marion_Malcher
#Fox stole my slipper
Jumped in an open window
Chased her down the street
@ginbat

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Monya M
‏@MonyaMyms
@ginbat SE London, a friend 🙂 –He had (my) footsteps to look forward to rather than run from.

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BioRisings
‏@HedgehogTorfaen
@ginbat once heard/saw fox hunt in distance. Came across exhausted fox in country lane. Placed on back car seat, coat over it, drove away.

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Glenn Albrecht
‏@GlennAlb
@ginbat In fast moving car at night. Fox chasing rabbit. Rabbit escapes fox by running under car. Rabbit safely exits. Fox smart but hungry.

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Stephen Byrne
‏@StephenGByrne
@ginbat sound like a baby crying, out of window, distressed cat on fence squaring up to inquisitive fox eyeing her up, cat leaps fox runs…
‏@StephenGByrne
@ginbat often too the highlight of many an early morning inebriated walk home, when I used to do that sort of thing…

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Findlay Wilde
‏@WildeAboutBirds
@ginbat I saw these two just playing in the frosty field, I watched them for hours. They were just enjoying life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Connel Bradwell
‏@connelbradwell
@ginbat Was on a bus in the countryside & saw beautiful fox it was bright orange/red with big bushy tail, my first outside of town. Magical!

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Staring through the window at the patterns of the branches in the trees across the road. I see an Egyptian king’s head and an auroch stood just behind him. When the wind blows, the auroch’s nose nuzzles the king’s neck. And this I watch hour upon hour, with an unrelenting tightness in my solar plexus. I feel like I’m endlessly falling.

Sleepless night turns to day, day turns to sleepless night, and the ghostly king and bovine continue their interplay long after heavy blood-red curtains are drawn. I turn to my screen glowing like a rectangular moon. Have to switch it off. There are people there. More pain. Love. Crisis. Pain.

The emotion is visceral, enveloping my whole being. Vulnerabilities. Large, terrifying memories and hollow hopelessness. Loss. My head like lead and my taught lungs sucking air as if through tiny straws. Everything takes effort. Lifting a mug to drink mint saps me to my core.

Fear. Here it comes again, building. Terror. Wide eyes. Adrenaline has me shaking, gripping the covers with a crooked hand, like my own grandmother. Tremors through my right side, rippling through my leg. The limbic residues have me retching. There’s a porcelain bowl nearby. A pure shiny white bowl. An old brown towel. Tissues. Lorazepam.

The tremors subside to a very low altitude. No movement. Stillness. Just weight. Tears without crying.

Next to my reading glasses, a clutch of rainbow pencils await my simple colouring. Half finished birds and geckos. A splendid unicorn.

My family sigh. They try to stay positive. My hand is held occasionally. Ben, my dog, pads in concerned and then retreats. Daisy cat wants to be close to my neck, all the time, like an auroch.

All things shall pass. But I’m a burden. Therein, anxiety rises again.