The other night I returned late – almost midnight – to my house in the Klang Valley. (Yeah, I’m back in Peninsular Malaysia for the time being. ) As I approached the house, my headlights lit up a civet crossing the road, rather like a large long low cat with a tail three times the size of a normal domestic cat.

Then this morning, when I woke, it was to a pungent smell of civet pee – both at my front door and in the ceiling. Now, as I type this, I can hear the guys rolling around under the roof, right over my head. One of these days I am going to have to get rid of them. Someone suggested putting a ghetto blaster up there, playing hard rock at full volume. Cheaper and kinder than calling in pest control?

I have spent the weekend at a workshop on monitoring important bird areas. And in between whiles, I am working on the proofs of Song of the Shiver Barrens. I am off on a month long tour of national parks and similar places – hey this is WORK, you know! – so don’t expect much in the line of daily blogs. I will put up something every time I manage to find an internet connection.