With the air crisp and the grass frozen we kept off the lawns last week and spent some time spreading compost on the vegetable beds and turning the heaps. Our three bay system had become completely full and a large pile of perennial prunings had accumulated nearby. With bay three spread on the beds the other two beds leapfrogged into the adjoining bays.
There’s nothing quite like turning compost to keep the heart beating; not just the physical exercise but the sight of a small nose and the knowledge that there’s a rat within. Each forkful is full of anticipation, just waiting for a mad scramble as Samual Whiskers and Anna Maria make their hasty departure.
After all the nervous excitement, the rats gone, and with the perennial prunings now in their bay we were ready for some well deserved tea. Unfortunately we didn’t find any roly-poly pudding to go with it.