The Second Frogknot Vermin War.

So...every evening at dusk a veritable army of little feet race across the ceiling. Unlike the past they appear to be keeping out of the interior of the house, there is no evidence of entry and certainly no noise in the night of the kind 'Rambo' (pbuh) used to make. No, these little blighters seem to be finding all the entertainment and food they need outside. Granted the occasional huge wheels of cheese that can't be sold at Will's work for varying reasons and which are thrown to the 'chooks' must be part of the reason why these ratbags are thriving.I have recently revamped all the solar lighting around the garden beds but 'someone' has been vandalising them! All was fairy light heaven for awhile and then slowly set after set stopped working and I have discovered that the wires have been chewed through in some cases in about five different places! It's war!The traps are out and completely by chance four young ones have accidentally drowned in trugs of rainwater and the bath out the back. I have set up a bottle trap, an oiled bottle over a trug water with a piece of cheese in the neck of the bottle and drowned another two last night. Still they keep running across the ceiling but I'll get them all in the end!

'Oh Hec!'

So...Hecate left us and for the 'chook pen' in the sky this morning. It is such a shame because in recent days she has been looking so much better and wandering further afield. Poor Hecate.We were woken at 5.30am yesterday morning with a great commotion of screeches and warning calls. We thought the fox was back but we found this...

I thought it was in shock as it lay flat out on the ground but suddenly it jumped up and flew off.I don't think it will be back in a hurry after all that!

We have doors.

'It's a wrap!'

So...while I was yet again busy at the 'Book Cave' Will was busy wrapping Blue Moon House in lining paper...

It's beginning to feel a lot like....a new home.

Here's Hecate.

So...Hecate is still with us since her ordeal in the fox attack almost a fortnight ago. We were very worried about her the other day as her breathing was very laboured and we feared she had a lung infection. She seemed like she was on her last legs but we gave her garlic and honey water and her breathing has improved since. She has been venturing out but has not wandered too far from the pen like the others. Arke has completely abandoned the chicks now has even started laying again. The chicks have been sticking close to Hecate and all ten roost with her in one of the nesting boxes though she seems to pay them little attention.She is not her old self. She is very slow, makes strange head movements and stands very still with her eyes closed for much of the time. We suspect she might be blind in one eye and slightly brain damaged but perhaps she is still fighting infection from her wounds. Time will tell.