Dr Julie-Ann Hayes RN

The land was arid and hot that afternoon: the wheat and the barley bristling dry in the dusty earth, pale sand-gold tides on the very edge of harvest, dazzling against the blue cloudless sky. There was no-one around, not in the village, nor in the lanes. Wilting a little but in excellent spirits, Old Fox and the Doctor had made their annual picnic in the fields, which had become something of an informal institution between them. The Doctor read aloud as usual from his beloved John Clare; Old Fox, excerpts from Edward Thomas's essays; and they drank cider and ate bread and cheese and slabs of gooseberry cake. I feel like a boy again, said the Doctor, at the very beginning of the holidays. Quite right, said Old Fox, quite right.

🦊Competition time! Foxes and tea and biscuits! To celebrate the high days of summer, I'm giving away a signed edition of my 'Reynard the Fox' book, a copy of the accompanying gold-tipped 'A Fox for All Seasons' journal, both with map endpapers & fine ribbons, a box of Fox's biscuits, a large packet of best Dorset tea and a charming fox companion! Simply like, retweet & follow to enter! A winner will be picked on Sunday.

🦊💫Competition time! To counter the January blues, I'm giving away a signed edition of my 'Reynard the Fox', a copy of the accompanying gold-tipped 'A Fox for All Seasons' journal, both with map endpapers & fine ribbons, a packet of the award-winning Dark Woods Under Milk Wood coffee & a charming & extremely fluffy fox companion! Simply like, retweet & follow to enter!💫🦊