I spent Friday evening babysitting for Phil and Weeza so that they could go out to celebrate Phil's birthday, stayed overnight and then hung around the next day because I was picking someone up from the station in the afternoon and it hardly seemed worth coming home. A bit of a mishap in the morning, however. I'd forgotten to take my contact lens cleaning solution, so left it in a little dish of boiled water overnight and, putting it in the next day, it whisked itself to the back of my eye and there it stayed. It wasn't painful but it was uncomfortable and there wasn't a thing I could do to get it out again.
Fortunately, wearing brown-tinted sunglasses helps my eyesight enough to enable me to drive (I'm slightly short-sighted, borderline for driving in the day) because I hadn't taken a pair of glasses with me - I must remember to put my glasses in the car for emergencies, because I never use them at home. The lens reappeared within minutes of my arrival home. Bothersome thing.
In the night, the Sage got out of bed, which woke me as the burglar alarm going off had not, although I could hear it in my sleep. "It'll be a mouse," we agreed resignedly, and certainly we were not being burgled. The alternative possibility is a spider running over the sensor, but a mouse is the more likely.
And then I was sitting in my study at about 7 am when I heard rustling behind me, and recognised the sound of a mouse. Another mouse probably, the door is shut overnight and there isn't a sensor in here. I decided to ignore it for the time being. But it kept on and on rustling and in the end I investigated. I turned on a torch app on my phone (I don't bother with a torch, a compass, a map, a diary, a wristwatch - there's an app for everything) and peered into the corner, but couldn't see anything. Then I noticed a gift bag on the floor which contained a carton of Celebrations chocolate. I can't remember when we were given them, but they hadn't been opened. That is, they hadn't been until recently, when a dear little mouse had gnawed its way through the bottom of the pack. But the inside of the bag was too smooth for it to eat its way out and it was stuck. We looked at each other and it cowered. I picked up the bag, fetched my handbag and my bike and cycled off to church. I let it out in the churchyard. I'm sure it will be happy, as a church mouse.
This house is by no means overrun with mice, but it's impossible to keep them out all the time, though we're not bothered by them in the summer. There are little crevices, small gaps they can creep in through and this is the time of year when they're looking for a safe home for the winter. I'm afraid they won't find one here.
Fortunately, wearing brown-tinted sunglasses helps my eyesight enough to enable me to drive (I'm slightly short-sighted, borderline for driving in the day) because I hadn't taken a pair of glasses with me - I must remember to put my glasses in the car for emergencies, because I never use them at home. The lens reappeared within minutes of my arrival home. Bothersome thing.
In the night, the Sage got out of bed, which woke me as the burglar alarm going off had not, although I could hear it in my sleep. "It'll be a mouse," we agreed resignedly, and certainly we were not being burgled. The alternative possibility is a spider running over the sensor, but a mouse is the more likely.
And then I was sitting in my study at about 7 am when I heard rustling behind me, and recognised the sound of a mouse. Another mouse probably, the door is shut overnight and there isn't a sensor in here. I decided to ignore it for the time being. But it kept on and on rustling and in the end I investigated. I turned on a torch app on my phone (I don't bother with a torch, a compass, a map, a diary, a wristwatch - there's an app for everything) and peered into the corner, but couldn't see anything. Then I noticed a gift bag on the floor which contained a carton of Celebrations chocolate. I can't remember when we were given them, but they hadn't been opened. That is, they hadn't been until recently, when a dear little mouse had gnawed its way through the bottom of the pack. But the inside of the bag was too smooth for it to eat its way out and it was stuck. We looked at each other and it cowered. I picked up the bag, fetched my handbag and my bike and cycled off to church. I let it out in the churchyard. I'm sure it will be happy, as a church mouse.
This house is by no means overrun with mice, but it's impossible to keep them out all the time, though we're not bothered by them in the summer. There are little crevices, small gaps they can creep in through and this is the time of year when they're looking for a safe home for the winter. I'm afraid they won't find one here.
11 comments:
Can I just say "eek" in a rather girly way? Thanks, I feel better now.
Mice are cute but I'd rather not see them indoors.
Pesky little blighters!
I'm afraid a trap will be set tonight.
I used to have nightmares that featured mice. Lots of them scurrying about and tumbling out cupboards and running over me. Would wake up in a sweat. Not my favourite creatures and yet why on earth to be so scared of such a little thing? No sense in that. I wish little critters wouldn't bother me.
I might write a post on Mice I Have Caught Alive and Let Go. I'm pretty adept at handling the little buggers.
I freak out when seeing mice and rats. My cat used to catch them in our yard (since then bait traps have been set-no rodents), but she didn't know how to kill them. One time my mother was here, grabbed the live mouse from cat's mouth-whacked the mouse against the fence and dispatched it quickly. I nearly got sick, the cat felt that Mom was a terrific mouser. Hope your mouse problem is quickly remedied. Should I send Mom ? ha ha!
I lasted a week with lenses. Hats off!
Would a cat not help? Or are you-like me -not a cat person. All those bloody little gifts!
Well I think you know where I stand on rats, although I have been known to catch mice in a humane trap and take them to the churchyard.
A few years ago, at this time of year, we tended to have an influx of mice - a mixture of house mice, harvest mice, and field mice. For about three years our cats had a few field days in September. As it seemed to be getting worse (or better from the point of view of the mice) I found where they were coming in, and sealed their route. Never had further problems at that house, but this year we found mice were planning to spend the winter in Ann's garden shed. No cats now, so used traps. Caught three, and it seems to have done the trick. Used stilton.
Blimey, Georgie, I pick them up and let them go! I wouldn't want to cross your mum!
I never did really master putting one in my left eye, Pat, but just wearing the one is ideal. The Sage won't hear of having a cat, in case it catches any birds. He loves all birds. Well, not magpies or jays.
We do set mousetraps, AQ. And rats, thank goodness we've never had one in the house but some years ago we did have a problem in the garden, which was horrible. They ate all the sweetcorn off the stalks. We poisoned the little buggers, I'm afraid.
Sorry Mike, I've got comments on posts over 2 days old coming for moderation to save you all from receiving my spam in your inboxes (I hope). I don't think we'll ever seal all the routes, it'd be nice to think we could.
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