A couple of months ago we were in our favourite pub, The Wheel Inn, talking to Barcky, a local guy who does hedging, fencing, shooting and other such rural jobs.. We asked him if he came across a dead hare to drop it off to us so we could draw and photograph it. A few days later he presented us with a dead hare. He'd shot it for us. We didn't want him to do this but having got the hare we felt that to do it justice we ought to use it as the basis of our pewter pictures. The hare had a notch in one of its ears so now in commemoration of him I'm doing all my hares with a notched ear. It's the least I can do for such a wonderful animal. Quite a size he was, too. You can tell by the table and chairs.
We wondered if we ought to eat him in order to justify him being shot. But that's a moral dilemma for another day. I buried him in the garden so he will enrich the soil in which I grow my fruit and veg. That thought helps.
I bought Barcky a drink when I next saw him. He's a good bloke, a genuine countryman who is always ready to help.
