Archive for January 1st, 2009
Meet Ash – Our Little Houdini
Let me introduce you to Ash and Snowball (or it could be Lemondrop – only Geordie can tell the difference between his two white girls).
The other week I was tidying the kitchen, and was putting away my drip filter coffee machine. There’s a slot in the back that you can tuck the power cord into. As I went to start sticking the cord away, I saw a movement. WHAT??!! Oh no, thought I, there’s a cockroach in there (we have some rather large cockroaches at our house at the moment). On closer inspection I saw some whiskers. AARRRGGHH, there’s a jolly mouse in there. However when I peered more closely into the hole, I saw that it was a little black mouse – which could only mean one thing. Ash!! Sure enough – there she was, cheekily looking out at me from the hole in the back of the coffee machine. Thankfully she’s a pretty tame, well-handled mouse, so when I put a piece of food on the palm of my hand, she came out of the hole to get it, and I could put her back where she belonged.
That’s not the end of the story though. Over the next week she managed to escape at least 3 more times – one night I noticed my handbag jiggling on the bench – and sure enough, there was Miss Ash sitting inside it! Little Monkey.
I’ve thwarted her now though. I put cardboard up so she can no longer escape. She’s quite a skinny little girl, and I think she was able to squeeze out of the gaps in the corners – but no longer!
I love all of the kids pets, but the mice are my favourites. In the morning when I have the electric bread knife out cutting bread for toast, the three of them hang off the bars as if to say “don’t forget us”. They love eating rice bubbles or cornflakes, and have mouse punch-ups over the food if they think they’ve missed out.
I really enjoyed having pets when I was a child, and I’m glad my kids are getting to experience the fun and responsibility of pet ownership too.
I hope you’re having a lovely New Year’s Day. The kids have gone to their Dad’s so all is quiet on the home front for me. Except I should be tidying my bedroom. Bella told me it was a pigsty last night!! Can’t think where she could have heard such a term before??!! 
F xx
