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Wednesday 12 June 2013

Secrets of a pantry mouse...

Dug into the hill are my pantries;
it seemed a good idea at the time.
Our cottage is rooms on rooms,
up steep, steep stairs to each level.
The joys of living on a hill.
When the men were here building the oak extension,
I thought that as the kitchen was so tiny, that it might be a good idea
to dig out the void under the Winter room floor 
to utilise the space as cupboards. 


A very good idea, even though I say it in all modesty!

The right-hand cupboard houses the gubbins for the
poor man's Aga, pots and pans.


The left-hand for cans and cooking ingredients


All okay until the mice of generations 
discover the joys of One-Stop-Scoff.

Now I'm no naturalist, however 
I thought that mice piddle and poo
wherever they go.
The only evidence I have of their presence is
the tiny teeth marks in the edges of the
plastic containers.
Oh and the sometimes mousey smell.
What is going on?

Any ideas?

'The wall, the wainscot and the mouse'
T.S. Eliot

11 comments:

  1. Nice pantries! House trained mice, perhaps?

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    1. That, or they've nicked a corner of Lettice's Miss Tena pads to use as nappies?

      LLX

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  2. Love the postcard touch on the door ~ love postcards!

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    1. Made me smile your comment about the postcard on the door, don't know why? A peep into other folks' homes is as good as it gets I think.

      LLX

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  3. Mice - we suffer from them in our French ruin and have to leave souricide rodent poison in containers all over the place when we shut it up. And not leave the faintest evidence of food matter anywhere. We still return to trails of 'coco pops' and nests in the mattresses. A cat is the only answer. Though not sure that it's mice you're suffering from. Spooky!

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    Replies
    1. I just can't bear to kill, added to which being we are three ancient cottages, the problem is never really solved. Also the strange thing is they don't come out of the cupboard... weird or what? Probably they are just passing through to next door, where the pickings I suspect are more easily available!

      LLX

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  4. I have heard that peppermint oil puts them off the scent, but would one want kitchen cupboards reeking of such a strong pong? Worth a try, maybe.

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    Replies
    1. This idea I like Nilly. The trouble is the runs through the oak timbers and boards have been there for hundreds of years. Timber framed cottages are like sieves, even now as I'm sat typing this, the wind is sneakily finding its way through.

      Winter bedtime is a dress for the Artic... nightcap, by way of bobble hat, industrial-strength wincyette, head to toe, fleece bed jacket, bed socks and Gromit hottie bottle... Oh yes and Ted!

      Live and let live I say, unless the line is crossed and they really start taking the mouse piss!

      LLX

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  5. Time for the traps....the Bastle was a mouse lodging house, even the rubber handles on the hammers were systematically chewed by the little blighters.
    Now mouse free.... I can recommend sticky mars bar as the most productive bait.
    Best of luck...
    Julie x

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    Replies
    1. Julie, not sure I like this idea... reason being the Mars bars would never get to the trap!

      LLX

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  6. It is a mystery to me too! We had a sneaky little blighter, took me a while to fathom then I saw the trail of poo and nibbled satsumas! We blocked the hole up and he was never seen again!! x

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