The story of a country mouse

So. This here mouse wot Marlo introduced into the household. It had vanished. Which is hardly surprising, when you think of it. One poor little wood mouse up against a playful cat and a stomping Builder. You can see its point of view.

Anyway. The Builder spent the early part of the evening looking for it. He shifted the freezer. No mouse. He looked in the gubbingses at the back of the freezer. No mouse. He searched in the shopping bags which are living in the dining room at the moment. No mouse. Nor was there a mouse down the back of the radiator, or in the cat's cardboard box, nor in the magazine rack. Nowhere was there a mouse.

I forgot about it and ambled off to make a truly magnificent shepherd's pie for dinner. But we kept the doors shut, just in case.

Some time later, Marlo leapt abruptly off The Builder's lap and shot towards the laptop cover, which I had put down beside my chair, next to the wall. Aha! a tail. Oops. The tail has gone. Marlo shot after it and baled the mouse up against the door into the lounge room. Good. He's got it. But no! Bugger. The door wasn't properly closed and the mouse has s q u e e z e d through and is now at large in the lounge room, and thus the rest of the house.

In we all dashed. There it is - behind the drinks cabinet. Marlo leapt upon it. Grabbed it - and started playing with it. Sigh! The mouse escaped. Naturally! It ran to the "porch" by the front door which I have filled with plants. Marlo, in the meantime, is hunting for it around the drinks cabinet and simply could not be persuaded that it had moved to the door. The Builder began moving plants backwards and forwards, the mouse kept running up and down by the door. jumped into a plant basket. The Builder grabbed the basket to take it out, but the mouse jumped out again. Marlo espied it (largely because I had practically thrust his nose on it!). Grabbed it. Threw it up in the air and began to throw it about. It ran for cover - oh no; up the stairs!!!!!!!!! Very profoundly do not want it loose up in the bedrooms. The Builder leapt up the stairs, followed by Marlo who baled it up against a step and patted at it with his paws. The Builder prepared to grab it with his bare hand. I tossed a pair of knickers, fortuitously drying on the radiator (Shh! Don't tell anyone!) towards The Builder who grabbed the poor little mouse with them and took it outside and threw it into the herb bed.

So that was that. Such excitement on a Monday evening! Quite wore Marlo out. After he got fed up of looking for it in the lounge room he rejoined us in the dining room (doors now ajar again) and fell into a deep and profound sleep!!

The Vixen is really poorly sick. At one point yesterday the mechanics were considering whether it was worth repairing her. Poor Vixen. You can't write her off. She's only 18 months old. We haven't even paid for her yet. Fortunately, they decided that there was nothing wrong with the suspension or the chassis. She merely needs (are you ready?): 1 driver side wing; 1 driver side headlight; 1 front bumper; 1 underskirt; 1 radiator; 1 radiator feeder bottle; 1 windscreen bottle. Quite how you can do that much damage skidding into a parked car is a complete mystery to me. He must have been going at quite a lick when he came around that corner. Should have known better. He's not a boy, after all! Around a fortnight before we can have her back. All going to plan!