Wildlife

Well, Mr WithaY and our lovely American mates are all back home safe and sound.

Apparently the taxi driver who picked them up from the airport had "teeth like a hockey player" which is a great description.

We're off to the local firework display this evening as they don't do Bonfire Night over there, then coming back home to eat our own weight in chilli and beer.

And we have heat and hot water which is a relief. The boiler man left me a long and complicated list of Things We* Must Do with the heating to ensure it doesn't blow up/fall over/have a hissy fit next time Mr WithaY leaves the country.

Last time he was away (diving in the Red Sea in January) it stopped working - different reason though, of course. I got home from work late one evening, cold, tired, hungry, to be greeted by an excited message on the answerphone saying "I've been swimming with dolphins! It's 24 degrees here! I'm so happy!"

I believe bad language may have been used on my part as I donned several fleeces, mittens and extra socks and ate my solitary supper.

Other news: Fucking rat came out from under the shed while we were sat eating lunch today. Scampered cheerfully across the lawn and back again while we watched it. Some Lidl's finest chocolate was carefully deployed to lure it back out and Mr WithaY took up the sniping posision from the Window Of Doom. Sure enough, 30 seconds later it was a ex-rat.

Ugh. Bloody things.

We discovered it had been digging about at the back of the compost bin, probably attracted by a whole egg that some fool** had left in there. We filled in the hole and Mr WithaY broke the egg with a stone***. Oh my word, what a smell.

And on that edifying note, time to go shopping for sour cream and salad for tonight.

* For "We" read "Professional plumbing type". I have no intention of attempting any of it myself.

**Me

***from quite a distance...deadeye dick or what?