Who attacked me this morning?

I've forgotten two crucial things for this blog. 1) the battery charger for my camera and 2) the memory card thingy to upload photos via USB. So for the foreseeable future there will be no photos of our adventures. Sorry.

We arrived in White Creek, New York last night to stay in a beautiful converted school house. It has a massive open room stretching from kitchen, over the grand piano, sofa/lounge area to the old black board on the opposite wall.  It is quiet here, and VERY dark at night. I didn't realise that I had adapted to urban living so well as when I turned the light off last night and experienced such a darkness it seemed to absorb me.

There is a rooster around. Last night Xss shooed him away, but as I think I am superior to him in understanding animal behaviour (one of my numerous random superiority complexes - don't get me started on breeds of dog, or which way is north), when he described the chicken as 'mental' I thought he was over reacting. So this morning when it came over near the swing set as Starbucks climbed on, I simply thought it was curious and generally ignored it. Suddenly it darted at Starbucks and began attacking her, pecking her backside and scratching at her. She was obviously terrified and screamed, trying to run away as this giant bird chased her. It didn't seem at all perturbed by me trying to kick it and shouting at it. I began screaming 'help' as loud as I could. Hahah. What I scene. This event has obviously made a big impression on Starbucks and in her usual way she has been digesting it all morning.

It's become slightly comical now as the mother of the person whose house we are in, (airbnb) began texting me to help and became labelled 'the chickens mum' in translation to the 3 year old. Then the chickens owner became involved and he has become the chickens dad. I'm not sure if these human characters have made it even more confusing. Eventually after the police and animal control being called (I think Starbucks is secretly delighted that the police have been contacted to tell the chicken off, but is as of yet unwilling to give up her victim card) the chickens father pulled up with the chicken sitting in the passenger seat of his car. He said he is fed up with the chicken being naughty and he was taking it to a farm. I think the inference was that he doesn't care about what happens to it, and has been letting it run wild a while. Problem solved. Calm has been restored to New England, the naughty chicken is gone.

I'm happy my children are safer, but there is really not much to do in White Creek now the naughty chicken is gone.

P.s when I woke up, correction, when I was woken up this morning by Cookie, as I settled her back to sleep in the early morning grey I saw two deer a few mets from my window frolicking. This being our first airbnb experience, is it normal to not have any curtains in the whole house?