We don’t have foxes in New Zealand. I read about them in stories, but I’d never seen one in real life until I moved to London.
Maru and I stayed in a few AirBnbs before we found our first London flat, and one of those looked out onto a garden with a shed. Each day a fox would curl up on the roof of the shed and nap quietly in the afternoon sun. I used to enjoy watching it out the window whilst I was preparing for job interviews. It felt like a furry companion that was helping me settle into a new city.
We now see foxes slinking around our neighbourhood, and are sometimes woken up by their screeches in the middle of the night. Each time I see them, I’m reminded simultaneously that I’m far from home, and that I’ve chosen to make a home in a new place.
Red Fox reminder.