Monday 17 March 2008

5.30 in the morning, and a clink of milk bottles on the step. Nothing unusual in that, you might say - except that it was more of a crash than a clatter. So, I stumbled downstairs, fully expecting to surprise some heavy-footed bird stealing the milk. Imagine my surprise, then, when I drew back the curtain to discover a young fox cub lapping enthusiastically at the milk glugging out of the bottle he had knocked over. Not only that, but when I surprised him, I could have sworn that he smiled at me before returning to his breakfast. Clearly the sight of me first thing in the morning wasn't frightening enough and I had to switch on lights and flap my arms before he loped off into the street. A conversation some weeks later with the milkman revealed that this particular fox is a regular offender. In fact, he trots round after the milk float, hoping to catch the odd spilt pint or two. We have now had to devise a fiendish scheme to foil young basil brush!

We are often surprised when animals learn new tricks - whether it's the dog opening the cat flap, the squirrels stealing from the squirrel- proof nut feeder, or the monkey watched by my friends in Pakistan. It spent an hour working out how to get the lid off a screw-top dustbin to get at all the tasty morsels inside. They should have been cross really, given all the mess that he made. But it was hard not to feel a twinge of sneaking admiration.

If God did indeed create us, I wonder whether he's surprised when we learn new tricks? When we learn to transplant an organ, split an atom or fly to Mars, what does he think? Does he arch an eyebrow and think "I never knew they could do that"…or does he nod sagely and say to himself "I knew they'd find that sooner or later"- "what kept them"?. Perhaps we'll find out one day. But I do know that curiosity, for humans or animals, is one of God's greatest gifts. It drives us to do the impossible and conquer the improbable.

Talking of the improbable, I should tell you about our anti-fox solution. We now keep the milk inside a plastic box with a lid, helpfully labelled 'milk' So I suppose we'll be alright - at least until the fox learns how to read!