It’s a dark and stormy day in Ireland, though not as bad as it seems to be in the UK. There have been a few brighter days recently however and we were able to get the mower out last weekend. The orchard was in real need of a trim as the weeds had one last growth spurt. Now we just keep snipping away, hoping to discourage them before next spring. The path around the wood has stayed quite clear, much to my surprise. There are some feral nettles and very vicious brambles that tend to grow out at head height. I’ve taken to carrying the shears on the mower and lopping off the growth as it tries to catch my face. I have been known to laugh as I cut them down. Rather satisfying actually. And in the wood the trees are just beginning to turn some lovely colours, especially the Japanese Cherry.
I must check our boundaries as yet more uninvited and unwanted visitors are taking up residence. I’m sure there’s a sign offering free board and lodging to all out there somewhere, though it wouldn’t necessarily influence the flies. They had a short rally in the warm interlude and redoubled their biting before the cold returns. A plethora of Crane flies (Daddy-long-legs to many of us) have appeared too. I’m not overly fond of them but don’t want to swat them either. They seem to be exceptionally dumb however. Most flies will make a dive for the door if it’s open but not the Crane flies. They drift around in the draught, then dive for the floor and huddle inside until they get caught in a spider’s web.
The most unwanted visitors are no longer the occasional rat however. When I opened the side gate to drive the mower through to the garden there was a frantic buzzing all around me. Looking up I saw a swarm of wasps – about fifty or so. I drove clear and stopped a safe distance away. The wasps milled around and then began to fly in and out of the corner of the roof. When they settled a bit I walked over and had a look. There’s a small gap around the gutter and a nest inside. It’s late in the season and they should start to die off soon but the nest is just where the new broadband cables need to go. We’ve had to postpone our installation, after waiting almost four years for a landline. I curse you, wasps!
We are both still recovering from the strange virus we picked up a few weeks ago so have had a quiet week. Next week should also be fairly calm and I’m looking forward to meeting some fellow Irish writers. The Irish chapter of the Society of Authors has reformed and is holding the first on-line meeting on Wednesday. I’m not sure how zoom meetings with a lot of participants work but I’m sure I’ll puzzle it out as it goes along. I hope to make some connections and maybe advice on the publishing landscape over here. I’ve started some writing again so hope to have some news later in the year.
There’s a frantic round of slurrying all around as the deadline for emptying all the tanks arrives at the end of September. This is despite the rain and often with double applications followed by very early cutting of the grass. It may explain the midnight slurrying too. As this is likely to impact on the water table we will be testing the well again. It’s almost a year since we had the new system installed and it is due a service and renewal of the filters in a few weeks. Depending on the test results we may need yet another filter in case of heavy pollution. There is a fierce debate going on at present over the run-off of agricultural waste into the water system, both ground water and rivers and lakes. The water in Ireland fails to meet basic standards over almost 85% of the country but farmers insist they need to slurry and add fertilizer above the current EU allowances. Whilst this argument continues many of us have to go to great lengths and considerable expense to ensure our water is safe.
And so to the rat. Cheeky little thing – he was out in broad daylight last week, trying to climb the pole in the garden. At the very top is a bird feeder of nuts, hung there so these unwanted visitors couldn’t get them. Chloe, the oldest of our dogs went out and circled the pole but he was long gone. The cameras have caught him trying to get to the bird feeder, without success so far. We now have a staunch ally in this battle – Mabel the cat is stalking him. She comes out at night and has identified his entry points. She’s getting bolder and even walks along the window sills and over the gate to reach the areas where he has been seen. We have high hopes the camera will show her dragging his little corpse off very soon.
We are not sure if Mabel is a farm cat or a feral but we’ve spotted her out in some inclement weather. Jacqui has plans to make a small shelter for her up on the wall – a covered platform at first and if she uses it we will add sides and some bedding. I’m not sure about putting food out as this will attract even more rats though she would probably deal with them I suppose.
It’s blowing up a storm outside with leaves and twigs flying around the garden. We are still relying on the satellite broadband, which can be patchy in poor weather so I’ll stop here while I still have a signal. Thank you for reading and I’ll be back in a couple of weeks, hopefully filled with ideas and enthusiasm for my new novel.
Take care, and see you then.