In tears (blaming perimenopause) about the gorgeous Mimi over a cafe pot of tea in an icy Johannesburg happy that South Africa are World Test Cricket Champions (finally!) but also wistful about my, also tuxedo-like cat boy, Sam who turns 20 in July. Here’s to many more happy missives about Pepper, and now Mimi! ❤️
Mimi seems to be on the same wavelength as Milou a newly created cat detective who is assisting humans in his territory in South London where several cats have gone astray, when not romping somewhere with Tom Cox’s (see his Substack) dad’s painted cat last seen sitting primly on Jacques Tati’s bike apparently
Anti-mouse defences were called in years ago when I woke up one night shortly before Christmas and found a mouse in my wardrobe consuming the foil-wrapped chocolate coins destined for the Christmas stocking. We used an ultrasonic thingy, successfully. That was in Edinburgh. Now in the rural north there are rats as well as mice, so it's chocolate-flavoured rat poison inside rat-sized dispensers (so that cats can't get in) in the garage and sheds.
Garden is DIVINE. Ants: diatom, aka diatomaceous earth. It's crushed up insect skeletons, so no chemicals, and ants hate it, as do any insects pests, eg red mite in chicken coops. Scatter lavishly at scene of crime. I really admire ants and it seems a shame - I leave them to it outside - but I draw the line at indoors and this gets rid of them. If Mimi doesn't do the job, old-school clacky mousetraps are the only thing that works.
The garden looks beautiful. I second the sonic repellers - my friend has a few of them for her house located in the middle of fields and I’ve never seen a peek from them.
I can recommend a humane mouse trap containing a chunk of cucumber. Wood mice can’t get enough cucumber. Be sure to relocate them a considerable distance away in suitable habitat or they will try to find their way home to you.
Mimi is lovely!I assured my husband that I wouldn’t go looking for kittens, after our two boys, Maggie (Magpie) and Lulu (Lucifer) died at around 19 years. I said if I was meant to have a cat providence would provide. 3 weeks later, Providence arrived, courtesy of an animal loving friend, aged 4 1/2 weeks. She had been found abandoned in the middle of a field 2 days earlier. We felt she needed milk, but cows milk, with its large indigestible fat globules, wast suitable, she had goats milk for the next 2 months and expensive kitten tins and raw beef. (Our dogs are fed on the raw meat, our butcher minces all the beef and lamb offcuts and it costs us £10 a week for 3 dogs and Provvy.
The down side of our small black female (spayed) cat, is we now have no robins in our garden, and the sparrows that used to nest in large numbers in Sparrow hotel, a Cornish palm, have abandoned ship. She is loved by Roscoe, my black spaniel, who greeted her when she arrived, a tiny bundle of energy, turned her over, and gave her a very personal clean. We put her in her dirt box, which she promptly used, she has never had an accident. Roscoe trained a 4 1/2 week old kitten! Jago, his father, my husband’s dog, doesn’t like her at all and curls his lip at her.
What I really wanted to say, your garden is looking lovely! The Ghislaine will soon grow. I have 2 Rosa Munda in the front garden, aren’t they lovely?
I don’t like striped lawns, too suburban! (Sorry) but I do love a well kept lawn, edged properly! We have a large field over our back hedge, a hayfield at present, no mow May is NEVER happening!
Happy gardening and cooking! And animal husbandry!
I’m getting 3 Wild Rover roses this autumn, there is just room for them.
Those steps up to the kids play area are sooo cute!! Fabulous before & after, you should be super proud!! I’ve caught the gardening bug too! My husband was always the gardener but he’s been caught up with work and it was all getting overgrown, and I stepped in…and enjoyed it so much, I can feel how cathartic it is already!! Also… that cat!! 🐈⬛ ❤️ xx
I sent that article to a lesbian friend who once cooked me a meal from the Green Roasting Tin! (The smoked tofu with fennel, Pak choi and peanut satay. Though I use almond as a peanut avoider) I also realised I had most of the ingredients I need for the gnocchi dish referred to. They are both in my meal plan for this week!
Re mice, I have found sonic repellers to work. I bought them after a recommendation from a friend, who managed to shift his mouse problem to his upstairs neighbours.
And as for lawns, I'm really allergic to grass. My brother got to use the ride on mower. I stayed inside and closed all of the windows! I have a lawn now and using a manual mower seems to keep my symptoms down. I'd quite like to not have a lawn but I can't afford to fill my entire garden with plants. Yet.
In tears (blaming perimenopause) about the gorgeous Mimi over a cafe pot of tea in an icy Johannesburg happy that South Africa are World Test Cricket Champions (finally!) but also wistful about my, also tuxedo-like cat boy, Sam who turns 20 in July. Here’s to many more happy missives about Pepper, and now Mimi! ❤️
It’s looking soooooo pretty!
Mimi seems to be on the same wavelength as Milou a newly created cat detective who is assisting humans in his territory in South London where several cats have gone astray, when not romping somewhere with Tom Cox’s (see his Substack) dad’s painted cat last seen sitting primly on Jacques Tati’s bike apparently
Sorry, I have just written about mice and rats, but meant to say how gorgeous your garden is, lawn edges or no lawn edges!
Anti-mouse defences were called in years ago when I woke up one night shortly before Christmas and found a mouse in my wardrobe consuming the foil-wrapped chocolate coins destined for the Christmas stocking. We used an ultrasonic thingy, successfully. That was in Edinburgh. Now in the rural north there are rats as well as mice, so it's chocolate-flavoured rat poison inside rat-sized dispensers (so that cats can't get in) in the garage and sheds.
Mini is beautiful!! Xx
I second calling the professionals - you need to find out how it is getting in the house. Good luck!
Garden is DIVINE. Ants: diatom, aka diatomaceous earth. It's crushed up insect skeletons, so no chemicals, and ants hate it, as do any insects pests, eg red mite in chicken coops. Scatter lavishly at scene of crime. I really admire ants and it seems a shame - I leave them to it outside - but I draw the line at indoors and this gets rid of them. If Mimi doesn't do the job, old-school clacky mousetraps are the only thing that works.
The garden looks beautiful. I second the sonic repellers - my friend has a few of them for her house located in the middle of fields and I’ve never seen a peek from them.
Yay! Welcome Mimi!!!
I can recommend a humane mouse trap containing a chunk of cucumber. Wood mice can’t get enough cucumber. Be sure to relocate them a considerable distance away in suitable habitat or they will try to find their way home to you.
Peanut butter works well !
Mimi is lovely!I assured my husband that I wouldn’t go looking for kittens, after our two boys, Maggie (Magpie) and Lulu (Lucifer) died at around 19 years. I said if I was meant to have a cat providence would provide. 3 weeks later, Providence arrived, courtesy of an animal loving friend, aged 4 1/2 weeks. She had been found abandoned in the middle of a field 2 days earlier. We felt she needed milk, but cows milk, with its large indigestible fat globules, wast suitable, she had goats milk for the next 2 months and expensive kitten tins and raw beef. (Our dogs are fed on the raw meat, our butcher minces all the beef and lamb offcuts and it costs us £10 a week for 3 dogs and Provvy.
The down side of our small black female (spayed) cat, is we now have no robins in our garden, and the sparrows that used to nest in large numbers in Sparrow hotel, a Cornish palm, have abandoned ship. She is loved by Roscoe, my black spaniel, who greeted her when she arrived, a tiny bundle of energy, turned her over, and gave her a very personal clean. We put her in her dirt box, which she promptly used, she has never had an accident. Roscoe trained a 4 1/2 week old kitten! Jago, his father, my husband’s dog, doesn’t like her at all and curls his lip at her.
What I really wanted to say, your garden is looking lovely! The Ghislaine will soon grow. I have 2 Rosa Munda in the front garden, aren’t they lovely?
I don’t like striped lawns, too suburban! (Sorry) but I do love a well kept lawn, edged properly! We have a large field over our back hedge, a hayfield at present, no mow May is NEVER happening!
Happy gardening and cooking! And animal husbandry!
I’m getting 3 Wild Rover roses this autumn, there is just room for them.
I love the stepping logs, they are perfect for fairies and small feet. And welcome to Mimi who looks like she is a very willing help.
Those steps up to the kids play area are sooo cute!! Fabulous before & after, you should be super proud!! I’ve caught the gardening bug too! My husband was always the gardener but he’s been caught up with work and it was all getting overgrown, and I stepped in…and enjoyed it so much, I can feel how cathartic it is already!! Also… that cat!! 🐈⬛ ❤️ xx
I sent that article to a lesbian friend who once cooked me a meal from the Green Roasting Tin! (The smoked tofu with fennel, Pak choi and peanut satay. Though I use almond as a peanut avoider) I also realised I had most of the ingredients I need for the gnocchi dish referred to. They are both in my meal plan for this week!
Re mice, I have found sonic repellers to work. I bought them after a recommendation from a friend, who managed to shift his mouse problem to his upstairs neighbours.
And as for lawns, I'm really allergic to grass. My brother got to use the ride on mower. I stayed inside and closed all of the windows! I have a lawn now and using a manual mower seems to keep my symptoms down. I'd quite like to not have a lawn but I can't afford to fill my entire garden with plants. Yet.
That's the prettiest pest controller I've ever seen 🖤🤍