I am fortunate to live in the suburbs, where nature is all around us. Our garden looks enchanting now that it’s summer. It has mature fruit trees – hazelnut, fig, walnut, apple and medlar – and in the flowerbed my mum has planted magnificent dahlias. Halfway down the garden, my dad’s precious greenhouse has loads of amazing vegetables of the season and flower seedlings. The allotment is behind our back gate and then there is an enormous field where there are sheep, cows and deer.
One evening on the way to our allotment, Dad opened the gate, peered out and turned around to put a finger on his lips. Quietly but quickly, I stepped towards the gate, and the first thing I saw were some incredibly cute fox cubs! They were lolloping in the soft, wet grass without a care in the world.
Dad told me to stay really still, so I played musical statues with my new fuzzy friends, and one of them came right to my feet! I see fox cubs every year but this was the closest I have ever come to one.
Another night, my dad heard commotion in the garden, he turned on the patio light and there was an adult fox walking confidently along our fence, with another one howling on the patio, I reckon it must have been the daddy fox who went to the pub for too long!
Mason, nine
Read today’s other YCD piece, by Elizabeth, 11: ‘Total eclipse of the duck’