Tortoise reappears during pets’ scuffle as manure sellers call, writes Tim Dowling

Tim Dowling writes that, in his kitchen, he watched his dog and cat fighting when his tortoise suddenly reappeared; later the two men who sell farmyard manure rang his doorbell.

Dowling says he had not seen the tortoise for six weeks but suspected it had been tucked by the sofa, and that a rapid overnight thaw had jostled it out of suspended animation. He writes the tortoise will stomp around the house for a few days before finding a new hiding place and then retract its legs and head and remain put for another month.

The manure sellers arrived twice a year, Dowling reports, dressed in flat caps, scarves and worn jackets and offering manure from the back of a lorry. He describes one man as quiet and hardworking and the other as talkative; the talkative man preferred to deal with Dowling’s wife and chatted about illness, a new truck, and family matters while Dowling made tea.

After the men left Dowling’s wife returned and they looked out at the freshly mulched beds. Dowling says he would not reveal how much he agreed to pay, so the cost remains unknown.

Key Topics

Culture, Tim Dowling, Tortoise, Manure Sellers, Dog, Cat