Thursday 2 October 2008

Flittermousing

Last night, I went to bed and set the alarm for 6 am, because I had to leave early for another trip to London. Last time I looked at the clock before going to sleep, it was just before 12.45. At 1.17, the Sage and I were woken by the sound of the burglar alarm. The Sage sighed and started to climb out of bed. "Thass not th'alarm, issit?" I mumbled dozily. He said it was, and went off downstairs to shoo the spider off the beam and reset the alarm. That it might be a burglar seemed highly unlikely, as Tilly takes her duties as guard dog with a completely professional attitude.

A few minutes later, the Sage reappeared. "It's a bat" he announced. "In the dining room". "What? Oh bugger. It'll be a devil to catch, they always know where you are," I said, rather wider awake by then. I got up and shambled downstairs in my dressing gown. In the dining room, nothing stirred for a few moments and then the bad swooped past, too quickly for me to follow it with my eyes. It did it again. Then nothing. I went to open the shutters, then the window and then started to peer all around the room. We couldn't find the bat, which was hiding. The Sage wound up his torch, turned off the light and shone the torch into various potential batcaves.

After several minutes, we gave up, shut the window and went back to bed. Today, the window has been left open and we hope it went out again at dusk - the alarm is set in that room so that if it's still there we should find out about it before bedtime.

But it's a bit bemusing. We didn't use the dining room yesterday and the doors weren't opened. There is an opening between the hall and the dining room, but the hall is divided into two with a door between and the door is only opened when we go upstairs and then shut again. The front door had not been opened and nor had any upstairs windows. I did leave the hall door open for about five minutes, but the door to the porch was not open at the time and it was mid-afternoon, before bats were about. There is a chimney, but it's lined and the flue goes to the woodburning stove, which is shut.

So, how on earth did a bat get into the dining room?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thru the bat(h)room of course. Love the expression flittermousing.

Z said...

Ha ha - very good Martina!

Dandelion said...

I think it was an imaginary bat. Or maybe you both dreamt it.

Z said...

Of course it wasn't, Dand. We're not that daft and my dressing gown was on the floor this morning where I chucked it.

Dandelion said...

Who said anything about daft?

But you have to admit (and you'd be daft not to), that even by your own reckoning, there's simply no other possible explanation (barring the supernatural).

Maybe you'd had a few drinks before bedtime? :-)

Z said...

It really was a bat. Neither of us imagined it. And I always have a drink before bedtime and it was only one drink last night. I don't believe it was the supernatural, therefore there is an explanation we haven't thought of yet.

The Sage is wondering if the bat got down the chimney between the brickwork and the lining - it would only need a tiny gap - and therefore bypassed the stove. I doubt that there is a gap, as I should think that the lining fits tightly inside the pot, but it's the only theory anyone's come up with so far.

Anonymous said...

How exciting! I'm rather fond of bats.

Dave said...

Bad bat! (Para 2).

It wasn't a cricket bat, was it?

Dave said...

Oooh. There's a photo of the Sage on the EDP website.

Z said...

I like bats too and I've rescued a few that have come in the house over the years.
A flying cricket bat would be a bit dangerous, Dave, so I hope it wasn't. And yes, he's in the paper edition too.

Dandelion said...

it's the only theory anyone's come up with so far.

Except it's not, is it? :-)

Given the facts, by your own admission, it's more likely that there wasn't a bat than that there was.

Anonymous said...

Don't bats like fruit? It came in with your fruit, later when it went home it told all it's little bat mates.Tonight they are all coming for tea.




Don't mind me I think I have taken to many pain killers, ha ha

Z said...

However, there was a bat. You are teasing me, Dandelion. I dismissed your theory as incorrect because I was there and know that the bat was real.

LOM, maybe you should lie down and have a rest. We don't get fruit bats in this country.

Sheesh.

Actually, I know that bats have a very high metabolism and have to eat a lot to keep their energy up. I don't know if the bat has escaped or died; if I find its poor little carcase then the only benefit of that will be that Dandelion will have to believe me.

luckyzmom said...

Perhaps the bat had gotten in the day before and had hung on the ceiling above your head since because he/she was too weary from hunger to move. You should check your carpet for bat quano.