Oh yes, that word strikes fear into any home owner, especially a home in excess of 100 years of age. We have an infestation of the little buggers in FOUR of our rooms, three bedrooms and one bathroom.
You see it all started when the Young Negotiator left home. He is 20 now and it was time for him to leave the nest (pun intended). He "cleaned" his room and moved out leaving just the bedroom furniture. No 20 year man wants to take his single, childhood bed with him. I entered this den of teenage manhood for the first time in years to de-cobweb the ceiling, no mean feat I can tell you. It was thick with webs in that gloomy room. Yes, gloomy because he had the lowest wattage bulb known to exist I think. Why? Ambiance? Mood lighting? Save the environment? No I think it was the first one he picked up when he needed to replace a blown bulb.
My cobweb broom was filling fast with dusty, sticky but spiderless webs (even the spiders found it too gloomy) when I noticed an anomaly in the corner of the ceiling: dirt build up and puckered lining boards. One step ladder and one egg lifter later I am jabbing at this strange dirt to find it hard and unmoving. So I poked the puckered wood next to it, just once, and oomph, the egg lifter went straight through the wood without resistance causing a hole for the little white ants to fall out of. I said something along the lines of "Oh bother" or some such benign exclamation and started to inspect the rest of the room. Not good. I turned my attention to the rest of the house, "Oh bother" many, many times. Holy white ant damage Batman it was in the walls and ceilings of four of our rooms. This calls for the help of Termite Man!!
Termite Man came and looked and said something like "Oh bother" which did not instil confidence in me. He went up into the roof space and said "I am going to take photos" which made me tremble at the knees. Termite Man was happier when he re-emerged from the roof. The frame of the house is untouched but the little buggers have followed the lining boards along in a straight line and have done a fair bit of damage. It could be worse, the house will not collapse around us leaving us stunned and covered in dust.
Next step: treatment with non-toxic traps under the house. I love the fact they don't use dangerous poisons anymore. Termite Man told me the bait is as toxic as salt, no harm to domestic pets or wildlife. Fantastic.
"Have you seen any snakes around lately? Because if there are any brown snakes (very poisonous) I charge double." said the smiling assassin. No-o-o, not for a long time. Within five minutes I hear this almighty groan from Termite Man. A brown snake has slithered under the house and he has yet to set the traps under there. "Oh bother" we both say.
"Err, can you keep the dogs inside while I go under the house on my hands and knees to set the traps? I was under a house once and their little dog came and licked me in the ear, frightened the bother out of me. I lifted my head in response and crowned myself on the flooring above. I saw stars!". A very reasonable request I thought.
Traps are set. My termites' time on this earth are numbered. Apparently when the termites die and the eaten wood is left to dry out it will crumble to dust. "Oh bother" that will be an expensive event to deal with. That is in the future and will be dealt with then.
Termite Man will be back to check on the traps and possibly top them up and from now on we will have him out for a yearly inspection, something we should have been doing for the last 20 years. Sigh. Hindsight eh? Bothersome little creatures.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Chicken Thief Strikes Again
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| "Hormone" pronounced with a lousy French accent. |
At the moment we have about 35 chickens and one happy, happy Faverolle rooster, Hormone. We did have a Transylvanian Naked Neck boy (Vlad) as well but a stray dog has taken him recently. I was a picture of ladylike behaviour NOT as I ran, in my big gumboots, across paddock and through barbed wire fence chasing the mongrel thief . If swearing could drop him he would be a desiccated shadow of his former self but alas no, it only made him run faster. Sigh. The big brown kelpie x has visited our free rangers about five times now and I have had it up to pussy's bow with him.
Fortunately this is a small community and I have been making enquiries of people in the area. I have possibly traced him to a property I will check out tomorrow. Someone told me that someone else saw a dog with a chook in its mouth crossing their paddock so I have a direction to head in at least. Short of putting a map of the local area up on the wall, sticking coloured pins in it and calling Tommy Lee Jones to come and co-ordinate a dog-hunt, I will take persistence, gossip and a lot of luck to find the culprit. Wish me luck.
Elementary My Dear Watson
Dr Watson has the new pup on the run and respects the old dog. He has had to learn about the outside world as he was an exclusively indoor feline. He has been rescued from a very tall tree top, from the roof top twice and if he is left outside when we leave the house during the day he gets a little anxious and lets us know his displeasure when we return.
Devon Rex cats are active and athletic, affectionate and vocal and they barely moult. Love him.
She's Ba-a-a-ck!
Yes, it has happened. After nearly a year off from blogging I will attempt to get back into it with more regularity, just like the proverbial high fibre diet, the blogging must continue.
Updates
We have lost our lovely Layla Greyhound to a nasty lesion on her spine that paralysed her within six days of her first symptoms. What a special dog she was. We were heartbroken and she has left a hole in our family that still hurts sometimes. No surprise to me that if you look hard enough there will be something funny about the dire situation. I am sitting on the floor of the vet surgery, crying, cradling my poor greyhound's head and saying my goodbyes. The vet sat with me and we talked about what a treasure she was as a pet and a patient. He rose to go get the euthanasia solution drawn up and our lovely Layla, ever ready for a meal, was able to raise her head (the only movement she had) and watch him leave and I knew in my heart her thought processes were "He is off to get my food. How much? Doesn't matter, any food is good food". I was able to laugh about it much later. Her pleasures were simple. Affection, attention, playing with Roger staffy, a good zip around the paddock and most importantly of all FOOD.
I suspect Roger felt it worst of all. He became depressed and lethargic. We waited for two months before applying for another rescue greyhound but there was a waiting list. We needed a cat friendly one but so did many others. Roger did not improve and out of desperation I acquired a free Pound Puppy of sorts, a cross bread of beautiful brown eyes and black, shiny coat. Apparently this little waif was a Border Collie x Rottweiler....hmm right. It transpires she is a B/Collie x Kelpie x who knows what. I have said all along I would not get a Kelpie/cross. Too busy, too much stimulation but of course when you are in love with your pup you don't return her do you?
Megatron Destructopuppy is our newest member of the family. She is now seven months old and a beautiful natured beast that sometimes tests my ability to keep patience, as puppies do. More about her later. Roger the Dodger, it turns out, has dementia which also accounted for his strange and quiet moods. He is 11 years old and it seems he is ageing quickly.
Farewell Layla Greyhound.
Updates
We have lost our lovely Layla Greyhound to a nasty lesion on her spine that paralysed her within six days of her first symptoms. What a special dog she was. We were heartbroken and she has left a hole in our family that still hurts sometimes. No surprise to me that if you look hard enough there will be something funny about the dire situation. I am sitting on the floor of the vet surgery, crying, cradling my poor greyhound's head and saying my goodbyes. The vet sat with me and we talked about what a treasure she was as a pet and a patient. He rose to go get the euthanasia solution drawn up and our lovely Layla, ever ready for a meal, was able to raise her head (the only movement she had) and watch him leave and I knew in my heart her thought processes were "He is off to get my food. How much? Doesn't matter, any food is good food". I was able to laugh about it much later. Her pleasures were simple. Affection, attention, playing with Roger staffy, a good zip around the paddock and most importantly of all FOOD.
I suspect Roger felt it worst of all. He became depressed and lethargic. We waited for two months before applying for another rescue greyhound but there was a waiting list. We needed a cat friendly one but so did many others. Roger did not improve and out of desperation I acquired a free Pound Puppy of sorts, a cross bread of beautiful brown eyes and black, shiny coat. Apparently this little waif was a Border Collie x Rottweiler....hmm right. It transpires she is a B/Collie x Kelpie x who knows what. I have said all along I would not get a Kelpie/cross. Too busy, too much stimulation but of course when you are in love with your pup you don't return her do you?
Megatron Destructopuppy is our newest member of the family. She is now seven months old and a beautiful natured beast that sometimes tests my ability to keep patience, as puppies do. More about her later. Roger the Dodger, it turns out, has dementia which also accounted for his strange and quiet moods. He is 11 years old and it seems he is ageing quickly.
Farewell Layla Greyhound.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Freaky Fox and Keystone Canines
Picture it:
The Young Negotiator (now 19) and I watching a mangy but well fed fox lope across our backyard. This fox is weird and strange in that the yard is home to TWO dogs, is fully fenced and well, the fox has no brush tail. In fact the fox appears to have minimal fur cover without actually being bald.
Roger the Dodger (staffy) at my feet now sees the fox and begins barking before he takes off out of the lounge room, down the stairs and across the backyard in pursuit of said fox.
Layla (greyhound) does not see the fox but knows there is trouble afoot and also leaves the lounge room at top speed, entirely clearing the back steps in one leap, barking aggressively. She in fact overtakes the staffy, as one would expect from a greyhound, and gets to the back fence to continue her barking into an empty paddock.
Roger meanwhile has reached the end of the pool fence around which the fox has disappeared and takes the corner well only to trip on.....nothing and do an almighty chin/chest plant into the very wet grass and slide out of view behind the pool, front legs facing backwards (imagine a suckling pig on a Slip-n-Slide minus the apple) .
Layla has finally realised the action is not in the back paddock and turns to continue the chase behind the pool also. Whether she has actually scented the fox or was just trying a new direction is anybody's guess.
The Young Negotiator and I are laughing at these Keystone Canines and their antics wishing we had a video camera set up and running.
The fox meantime, who incidentally has had time for a cup of tea and scone by this stage, has long gone leaving the dogs excited but somehow not fulfilled in their quest. We later found a chicken carcass in our yard beyond the pool where the fox had been heading.
Questions I have to ask myself:
1. Why is the fox so short in the hair and lacking a brush tail?
2. Why would this fox bring a chicken carcass into our dog-infested back yard and so obviously returning to consume it? (It has been suggested that it had met our dogs in the past and was feeling entirely safe).
3. What on earth did that staffy trip on?
Weird things a-happening here yesterday, but highly amusing just the same, except for the loss of one of our laying hens of course.
The Young Negotiator (now 19) and I watching a mangy but well fed fox lope across our backyard. This fox is weird and strange in that the yard is home to TWO dogs, is fully fenced and well, the fox has no brush tail. In fact the fox appears to have minimal fur cover without actually being bald.
Roger the Dodger (staffy) at my feet now sees the fox and begins barking before he takes off out of the lounge room, down the stairs and across the backyard in pursuit of said fox.
Layla (greyhound) does not see the fox but knows there is trouble afoot and also leaves the lounge room at top speed, entirely clearing the back steps in one leap, barking aggressively. She in fact overtakes the staffy, as one would expect from a greyhound, and gets to the back fence to continue her barking into an empty paddock.
Roger meanwhile has reached the end of the pool fence around which the fox has disappeared and takes the corner well only to trip on.....nothing and do an almighty chin/chest plant into the very wet grass and slide out of view behind the pool, front legs facing backwards (imagine a suckling pig on a Slip-n-Slide minus the apple) .
Layla has finally realised the action is not in the back paddock and turns to continue the chase behind the pool also. Whether she has actually scented the fox or was just trying a new direction is anybody's guess.
The Young Negotiator and I are laughing at these Keystone Canines and their antics wishing we had a video camera set up and running.
The fox meantime, who incidentally has had time for a cup of tea and scone by this stage, has long gone leaving the dogs excited but somehow not fulfilled in their quest. We later found a chicken carcass in our yard beyond the pool where the fox had been heading.
Questions I have to ask myself:
1. Why is the fox so short in the hair and lacking a brush tail?
2. Why would this fox bring a chicken carcass into our dog-infested back yard and so obviously returning to consume it? (It has been suggested that it had met our dogs in the past and was feeling entirely safe).
3. What on earth did that staffy trip on?
Weird things a-happening here yesterday, but highly amusing just the same, except for the loss of one of our laying hens of course.
Monday, January 14, 2013
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