We’ve got a mouse problem. We knew that there was one downstairs as something has been nibbling my rice cakes – and strangely I knew that it wasn’t Ian! However there was one under the floor boards upstairs –we saw it scurrying away. It was in the same room as the ducklings, I don’t think a mouse will hurt the ducklings, but we’d prefer not chance it. I also found a mouse sat quite happily in the front room when I came home from work, it scurried away down a gap in the wall where the builders have knocked a doorway through. So we need to remind Davy of his duties. I suppose we’d need to consider some form of humane traps. Don’t know much about it. Something to find out about.
I also think we have rats in the basement. We don’t keep the chicks there at the moment. It might be a big mouse, but could be a rat. Again, need to investigate our options. Another job for Davy perhaps – and give him something else to do than haunt the baby rabbits in the fields.
We’ve definitely got the owls back. I saw two little owl heads looking out of the window at me when I got up at 3.30 this morning. I tried to take a photo, but my stumbling around the window meant that I got a shakey shot of two heads disappearing rapidly back into their nest. Will try again. I think that this is two babies, I got a bit lost last year as to what we actually had living there in the family group as I saw three owls at one point, all looking fully grown, but it could be that one was a baby. The light nights are lovely, but it does mean we are permenantly tired. It is starting to get light before three and the sun is out at four. Of course it will start getting darker now, so I shouldn’t moan.
Every morning this week has been an increasing tussle with the goats, who generally prefer not to get up until after 9.00 – and resent being turned out before 7.00! We can rely on getting roughly half out before the half that are out try to get back and the half that are still in think they will go for a wander and it is chaos. I have heard Ian calling Gladys/Gordon very rude names as they have been debating whether he/she wants to be turned out (I don’t think Ian knows how much I can hear when he is out with the goats and I am in the rabbit stable!)
Think we have two broody hens, we’re going to pop them into a box this evening once it has gone dark so we can keep an eye on them. if there are broody then might pop the peacock eggs under them.
Sadly, Mr Buns who was my rabbit from Great Elm died Wednesday night. It is only Bob now who was here before Ian. We also had two ducklings die, of the older ones. We must remember that when they say ‘nice weather for ducks’ they don’t mean it. The rain has been pretty relentless and has probably been too much for the weaker ones.
Ian has come home tonight with an arm full of freshly picked organic veg (not ours of course), so it is sat there on the table, gleeming in a wholesome and good-for-you way. We will enjoy looking at it as we eat our pizza!