Nigger Does It Again ....!

Damn Dog just seems to get better! :D

The other night ~ last night? ~ I seem to remember him pawing one of my mouse boxes around, in my kitchen. I have these special little boxes. They contain a mouse trap and a slot in the top of the box discreetly alerts ye to when the trap's been fired.

Only, I haven't had any mice in this place for about a year now and, to be honest with ye? Those boxes have kind of become almost 'invisible' to me.

So, I've been busy with some DIY out there lately. I'd have been distracted and just told Nigger to leave the box alone. Then gone back to thinking of timber and screws.

Tonight though, I'd about finished my own, latest burst of activity when Dean O' turned up to do a bit more DIFD ('Do It For Ditch'). He's setting up my new sink and shower. Only, I think it was when Dean lost sight of his tape measure and I was looking about for that that I spotted this mouse box, moved slightly away from its usual spot.

Then I realised it had fired. Oh ..... It happens to all Rat Catchers. Something comes up and ..... and, one day, ye inevitably have to check a trap, knowing it should've been checked long ago! I was explaining this to Dean O', even as I took out my key and popped the lid on the box. Bracing myself, with curled lip, to look inside.

Yeppers. There was fur in there. Brown fur. A House Mouse. Only, to my surprise and delight, it was fresh as a daisy! And that's when I remembered calling Nig Nig off this box, only yesterday. Bugger had scented the fresh mouse in there and was curious to get at what it was :-)

If he, like all my other Dogs, had ignored that faint smell? It may have been god knows how long before I'd noticed and opened that damn thing! Urgh! Been there before!

I threw the body into my compost bin. Then had second thoughts as I realised what a treat it'd make for my magpie. I was just about to go fetch it though when I remembered how I've had recent take in the Rat Box (baited) down in the horse pen. I'd looked for rat tracks or any other sign. Found none and put it down to concrete and low levels of activity.

Now I have other ideas. I'll put some mouse boxes down there too, tomorrow. In fact, I'll saturate my entire damn compound now. Because, even as I stood there, in my kitchen, chatting to Dean about all this; Bugger me if I didn't see, through the open door, a mouse dash across my gate way!

They're back. Let the fun begin!