All rather obvious really!

One of my pleasures in the summer is going to bed just before sunset, and leaving the curtains open, so I can watch the lights go on in the houses that snuggle on the opposite hill. There have been a few new builds recently, and the plots of land between each house are becoming smaller.
Last night I kept looking up from my book and squinting at a house that was all in darkness. Was it for sale? Was no one at home? Had they all gone to the rock concert in town (AC/DC were whipping up a frenzy in our stadium)? I was just about to lose hope, and one light blinked on. I was unreasonably excited by it. Who were the new people on the hill and where had they been all evening?
This morning, as I walked down to the station to catch my train into town, I had reason to smile at the hedge, which borders the long steep set of steps. About half of the hedge comprises a very delicate bamboo, which has become overgrown with neglect. I began to imagine pandas scattered randomly around the neighbourhood, grazing and stripping the hedge. Large, fluffy black and white puddings sitting on back doorsteps and at picnic tables, chomping their way through the hedge-cuttings.
Then I connected the two pictures. That was why the house was in darkness last night; the occupants were on a panda hunt.