This is the mouse that........

There's a Moose loose aboot this hoose!

frightened Monty and made him jump when it hopped towards him.

It is a very lucky mouse. It survived being caught by one of our cats, then went on to evade being stalked by both of our cats and then finally got away from our three terriers into Nanny Southwellski's safe hands.

Having been placed over the fence into the hedgerow, albeit somewhat enthusiastically by Nanny Southwellski, which incidentally it also survived, it then, with all the stupidity it could muster, tried to get back into the garden.

Has it gone yet Dad?

This provided a good deal of entertainment for Scarlett and Blossom, two of the terriers. They vigilantly patrolled the fence for ages, getting more and more excited with every twitch of a blade of grass! Monty guarded the area near the deck some fifteen feet away from the mouse just in case it got through.

For all his grumpiness and bravado he's a bit of a chicken is our 'Strudles' bless him. That said we wouldn't be without him, I mean look at those eyes?

I dot a dold (sniff!)

Coco has been a bit poorly of late with a severe bout of the sniffles and hasn't been her old self.  

However, we are glad to say that she is well on the way to recovery.

You will recall in our last post we were contemplating the demise of our winter greens at the beaks of our chooks and chicks.  Well, they are now safely fenced in, the veggies that is not the chooks and chicks.

However, whilst Coco and I were fencing the veggies in, the Chooks and Chicks had, under the guidance of Brutus gone round to the back of the polytunnel.    Here they crept under the polythene and went on to devour, uproot, shred, disturb and gorge on our winter lettuces, greens and the lower tomatoes and peppers.  

I'm a bit tyred (and full)!

Siesta!

When I opened the door they exited like a rat up a drainpipe!

Bless them, they looked like they simply couldn't face another succulent, tasty, fresh green leaf or juicy red tomato. 

 

All that was left for them to do then was to rest.

We are still reducing our consumption of meat and to be totally honest we have been eating better than ever.  Its almost as if not having meat has made it easier to prepare meals, as there is no more trying to work out which veggies go with say beef or lamb.  

Our autumn plot preparation has started and we are now preparing new beds and turning over the soil in the beds we used for potatoes, brassicas and other bits and pieces.  Wow, I sounded like a gardener then!

The Rotavator has been doing overtime and the chooks have for once been gainfully employed in mixing the used grow-bags into the soil.  I know that a lot of the goodness has gone from the grow-bags but the way I look at it is that they are organic matter and adding that to the soil has to help - doesn't it?

Finally, the weather has been glorious here although I think it's just a precursor to some ropey weather.

The sunset tonight was amazing - again.

Don't you just hate that we live here?