St Patrick's Day.
I don't have any Irish blood in me at all (that I know of), so St Patrick's Day doesn't mean anything to me (or Ken). But when I was deciding what to wear on Saturday, a very strange thing happened. I took a pair of pink pants and a matching pink blouse from the wardrobe, then for no reason, put them back and took out a pair of cream pants and a green blouse. Even when I did this, the date didn't twig. Not until we were having a coffee at the shopping centre, and one of the staff came up to take our order. He was wearing a green teeshirt and a sparkly green cap. I STILL didn't twig until he said to me "You're the first person I've seen today wearing green!" I smiled politely and said "Oh?" and he said "For St Patrick's Day". I didn't want to seem ignorant so I smiled again and said "Well of course!"
So tell me, is St Pat. supposed to bring good luck or bad? For those of you who don't like spiders, what would you think of finding a rat in your house? Topsy was gazing intently into a corner tonight; she often does that when she's found a spider, or brought a lizard in to play with. At first we didn't take any notice, but after a while, I got a torch and had a closer look, only to discover what looked like a large mouse (it was actually a small Bush rat (Aust. native species). I think they are cute, but Ken LOATHES rats of any kind, so when I called him over, he reacted very swiftly! He closed all the doors to the rest of the house, and we moved stuff away from the walls where we could, to give Topsy a fair chance of catching the little critter. At first she seemed to be keen to do that, tearing around the lounge/dining room and into the kitchen after the rat, pouncing on it occasionally, but then letting it go. Ken said "Did you see that? The rat just sat and looked up at Topsy without trying to run off, and she sat and looked back at it, as if they had been playing, and stopped to rest!"
Well, it became obvious that Topsy wasn't hungry enough to actually catch and kill her new friend, so Ken found a large jar and held it over the rat when it got into a corner and had nowhere to go. Neither of us were game to pick it up by its tail, as they can turn on you and inflict a nasty bite, so into the jar it went. Ken took it outside and dropped it over the fence into our neighbour's yard (the ones we don't get along with - LOL!) For those of you who might be reading this and wondering how we know what kind of a rat it is, if you click on the link I have provided, it gives quite a bit of information about all kinds of rats found in Australia. Even though the Bush Rats are not usually found in urban areas, we are sufficiently close to bushland here to have quite a lot of native animals living in harmony with us; bush rats, snakes, ringtail possums, the occasional koala, etc. Our council is very keen to help residents identify the various native animals and birds here, so people won't be tempted to kill them by leaving out baits.
The next thing to happen was a darn nuisance. We have a small t.v. in the kitchen for me to watch in between cooking or whatever else I do in the kitchen, and we also have it on while we have our meals at night. I turned it on tonight while I was getting tea ready, and nothing happened. The standby light was on, but I couldn't get it to work. Ken tried changing the batteries in the remote control, but still no luck. We only bought it last August, so it is still under warranty, but it looks like I'll have to take it into the city next week to get it fixed...bang goes another one of my days off. I've just had two weeks off work, and as usual I feel like I need a holiday to get over my holiday!
That was my Saturday. On Sunday we are going to Ken's sister's home for the half yearly family Cousins Day, which is always enjoyable, catching up with Ken's many cousins who would not see each other as often if we didn't have a regular get-to-gether.
So tell me, is St Pat. supposed to bring good luck or bad? For those of you who don't like spiders, what would you think of finding a rat in your house? Topsy was gazing intently into a corner tonight; she often does that when she's found a spider, or brought a lizard in to play with. At first we didn't take any notice, but after a while, I got a torch and had a closer look, only to discover what looked like a large mouse (it was actually a small Bush rat (Aust. native species). I think they are cute, but Ken LOATHES rats of any kind, so when I called him over, he reacted very swiftly! He closed all the doors to the rest of the house, and we moved stuff away from the walls where we could, to give Topsy a fair chance of catching the little critter. At first she seemed to be keen to do that, tearing around the lounge/dining room and into the kitchen after the rat, pouncing on it occasionally, but then letting it go. Ken said "Did you see that? The rat just sat and looked up at Topsy without trying to run off, and she sat and looked back at it, as if they had been playing, and stopped to rest!"
Well, it became obvious that Topsy wasn't hungry enough to actually catch and kill her new friend, so Ken found a large jar and held it over the rat when it got into a corner and had nowhere to go. Neither of us were game to pick it up by its tail, as they can turn on you and inflict a nasty bite, so into the jar it went. Ken took it outside and dropped it over the fence into our neighbour's yard (the ones we don't get along with - LOL!) For those of you who might be reading this and wondering how we know what kind of a rat it is, if you click on the link I have provided, it gives quite a bit of information about all kinds of rats found in Australia. Even though the Bush Rats are not usually found in urban areas, we are sufficiently close to bushland here to have quite a lot of native animals living in harmony with us; bush rats, snakes, ringtail possums, the occasional koala, etc. Our council is very keen to help residents identify the various native animals and birds here, so people won't be tempted to kill them by leaving out baits.
The next thing to happen was a darn nuisance. We have a small t.v. in the kitchen for me to watch in between cooking or whatever else I do in the kitchen, and we also have it on while we have our meals at night. I turned it on tonight while I was getting tea ready, and nothing happened. The standby light was on, but I couldn't get it to work. Ken tried changing the batteries in the remote control, but still no luck. We only bought it last August, so it is still under warranty, but it looks like I'll have to take it into the city next week to get it fixed...bang goes another one of my days off. I've just had two weeks off work, and as usual I feel like I need a holiday to get over my holiday!
That was my Saturday. On Sunday we are going to Ken's sister's home for the half yearly family Cousins Day, which is always enjoyable, catching up with Ken's many cousins who would not see each other as often if we didn't have a regular get-to-gether.
posted by Gina E. | 2:08 am
5 Comments:
LoL
Hope cousins day was terrific for you both. I am so tired, I feel like I've had a few vinos, but alas it is just a lack of sleep.
xox Nicole
Now rats I could handle ;) The first week I moved in here we came across a dead rat in the carpark ... I just found a piece of cardboard and picked it up and popped it in the wheelie bin ... spiders are a different matter - the huntsman carcass is still downstairs on the step waiting for the cleaners to pick up on Tuesday - I can't even pick them up when they're dead! :/
RATS! NO WAY!!!!! I know they lurk! around here too and I am never that pleased to see them ifact neither is Rob (the baby!) I think I had to remove the last dead one the cat across the road left as a gift for us.
I too hope you had a great cousins day Gina. and you look like you had a fab. time with your pen pal what a great opportunity to visit with him.
hugs from Lee-ann ((hugs))
I absolutely hate rats! of any kind!! there is a plague here in the mountains at the moment. On the weekend, I found a lovely little stash of my passionfruit under a cane chair on my verandah, all nibbled at by a rat..
this weekend coming, we have our state elections - keep your fingers crossed :)
(oh and not sure if you read my blog a few weeks ago, my SIL isn't too well)
LOL
I hate rats of any kind. The last time we had a field mouse in the house. My dear Trinity caught it and gave it to me. That was in the middle of the night. Keith wished he had the camera as he claims I crawled up the wall. I can laugh now. :)
Hope you get your TV fixed.
I like your blogging area. I currently don't have one until the house gets a little more settled.
Take care.
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