Saturday 14 June 2008

Dying of shame

Even though I am completely embarrassed about what I am going to write, I feel I have to tell the story anyway.


Last night I had some knitters around to knit. We were having a nice time, chatting, knitting, I was even doing some picking up stitches on the Tulip cardigan. Suddenly a couple of knitters noticed a mouse squeeze under the door and run behind the settee.


I just started to panic. I do not like mice. If I see one at the allotment I think it's quite cute, but the thought of them inside and running across me in the night just freaks me out. I felt so ashamed that I had people around and there was a mouse in the flat. I had to leave the room and left the other knitters to sort it out. I'm such a coward.


Where was Granby in all of this? Asleep in his cardboard box in the bathroom. Did he wake up with all this commotion? Nah. Did he sniff out the mouse and catch it? Nah. Honestly, that cat! When we go away he's going to my friend Cath's because she has some mice in her newly purchased house and I've been saying she can have my little mouser. Granby clearly thinks there is such a thing as a free lunch.


Anyway, I decided to phone Ezzie who had to leave the allotment and get the hell over here. He promptly came and with the help of the knitters located the mouse and picked it up. I missed all of this because I was in the little bedroom, hiding and being hysterical. There was an almighty scream at one point from the living room. It turns out the mouse escaped from Ezzie and jumped between Lucy and Jeanette. He did manage to catch it again and then he took it out and let it free.


The living room was a right state, but I found all of that funny. The large yucca plant then fell on Jeanette and periodically Granby tried to come into the living room and see what was happening. It's too late locking the door when the horse has bolted, Granby. I am so disappointed in that cat.


Anyway, on a less embarrassing note, on Thursday at Cocoa Lucy Littleblue undid my original seams and taught me how to do matress stitch. This was a revelation and very satisfying, and even if I say so myself I did a good job. Last night I tried to pick up 276 stitches five times, but still haven't managed to do it. I'm going to divide it up today and be a bit more methodical about this.


Barbara very kindly made me a flower display. All the flowers are from her garden, which is just fantastic. This cheered me up when I saw it this morning.





I am also loving these cacti in a morning. The flowers are so bright and cheerful. I am particularly pleased with them because we have grown these from seed. We planted them three years ago and they look fantastic now. They live in the greenhouse at the allotment but for the flowering season they come here for their holidays where I can enjoy them. I am so ashamed of the mouse last night, but at least I am proud of these cacti.








9 comments:

Anonymous said...

That mouse probably came a very long way to visit you lot and what hospitality do you show??? I bet you won't be seeing that little fella again, not with the welcome you lot gave him! Poor thing, I wouldn't be surprised if you don't get a visit from a few of his friends, paying you back for the way you treated him...... Next time, try to be a bit more hospitable. Would you have thrown him out if he'd had a pair of needles in his ickle paws? No. Would you have chased him round the room if he knew how to wind yarn into a centre pull? No. Have some respect! I'm proud of Granby for not joining in on you private little riot and let that be the first and last. Good Day to you.

Anonymous said...

Pretty flowers.

Apple Tree Bakery said...

Emma Jane.

I have something to admit. We too had a mouse last night and I went bananas. Queue hysterical babbling and Simon rolling his eyes at me.

Our visitor just disappeared somewhere...We think there is a gap under a skirting board but were too tired to locate it. Today is turning the house upside down, sealing floorboards and generally purging it of all rubbish and anything associated with University. The mouse spurred us on.

You are not alone. (mind you he was darn cute when he was sat still, it s the tails and scurrying that does it for me)

Caroline M said...

I told the story and David said "I bet she doesn't tell that one at school on Monday".

I'm not giggling, really I'm not.

maramcp said...

Poor you. I bet it was a shock for you and the mouse too! Glad it all turned out ok in the end.

Pretty cacti! Grown from seed, is very impressive.

Unknown said...

When a mouse ran across my daughters head at 4 in the morning and then decamped to the bathroom I couldn't bring myself to make a clear attempt at grabbing it so called for the late lamented Brian cat who did the job in about 15 seconds. What a star. I wasn't too impressed though when I shifted the settee a week or so later and found what was clearly a mouse house of shredded paper under it. 3 cats in the house and a mouse moves in!! There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Anonymous said...

Moved the settee 'a week or so' later - yeah, right..........

Unknown said...

Yes - a week or so later. It just happened to be that time of year.......

Anonymous said...

More like it.......