We hadn't heard the sound of little rodent teeth gnawing wood for weeks and weeks, and had assumed that Maurice (the resident mouse) had succumbed to either the cold weather of late March / early April or had been added to next-door's cat's tally of 'kills'. Yet yesterday evening the familiar sound of tooth on wood was heard from under the shelves in the kitchen, and it seems that Maurice has returned to live another day.
Yesterday afternoon I'd had someone come to the house to take away some of the larger bits of rubbish from the garden shed. Out went an old fridge / freezer which hadn't been switched on for four years, out went a hideous set of dark brown wooden shelves which I remember buying from a charity shop in Nottingham 11 years ago, and which have never been used but tote'd around with us ever since. Also gone was the vintage canvas windbreak which I got from a Christmas Fair some years ago and which was jolly useful until I managed to snap off one of the poles in my haste to take it in during a thunder storm. Perhaps the windbreak could have been mended but it was broken five years ago and, lets face it, if I'd really wanted to mend the pole I would have done so long ago. But most importantly, to both me and Maurice, two ancient armchairs were also removed from the shed. P and I bought this very tatty but incredibly comfortable three piece suite when we first moved to Nottingham in 1995. The sofa had to go years ago when we bought a new one and P always complained that the new sofa was no where near as good as the old. So we'd kept hold of the two armchairs which were unbelievably tatty but wonderfully comfortable, and had talked fondly about getting them re-upholstered. It was all talk and no do, and finally P agreed that they too could be got rid of. Now I knew we had a posse of mice in the shed but I had no idea just how many there must have been until I saw the mess they had made of the armchairs, and the throw which was out there with them. There was mouse poo galore and the cotton throw had been chewed to b*ggery!! I was very very glad to see the back of it all. I'm sure Maurice's re-appearance yesterday evening was in retribution for me having removed his armchair 'haven' from the shed.
A much nicer surprise awaited me when I left the house this morning. What I had mistaken for a large weed turned out to be the most beautiful poppy.
we had a rodent problem a little while back firstly in out lean too and then in the kitchen....I bought a sonic rodent repeller which you plug in - it is marvellous. Best £30 I've spent in a long time. I can give you the details if you are interested?
Posted by: gigibird | 05/16/2008 at 08:25 AM