Mouse

A few years ago we had a spate of mice.  We did get rid of them, mostly by humane trapping.  As I am acutely claustrophobic, I would wake in the mornings worrying about mice in traps and rush them to freedom at the bottom of the fields behind the house, usually wearing pyjamas and wellington boots (me, not the mice).    After that Mike went round blocking up most of the holes where mice might enter and now we just get the odd one visiting, which is par for the course in an old house. 

Yesterday Mike met a mouse who had been living in a big bag of tea bags in one of the kitchen cupboards.  It leapt out and made a dash for it when he opened the bag.   When I visit England I bring back large quantities of PG Tips, emptied from their boxes into plastic carriers for easier travel.  I didn’t realise that mice like them as much as we do.  There were many nibbled and emptied tea bags in the carrier in spite of the fact that there was an unbroached muesli packet on a lower shelf.  I don’t know if this means that tea bags are a better option than cheese in mouse traps.  When we were in the business of trapping mice we found they responded well to peanut butter.

 

I recently said that we don’t do much, being retired people, but must say that Mike volunteered to do a spring clean on the kitchen and has done a great job.  We don’t have a conventional kitchen – no units and an old pot sink, but there’s a lot going on and I like it.  I made some bread in the newly cleaned kitchen this morning and also sat and sewed a very girly and soppy looking handkerchief into three lavender bags.   We had some dried lavender from last year in need of a home.    I hope that mice don’t like lavender.