Just the occasional squally thundery thing on the way up. Nice when I got here. Low tide, thank goodness. Not raining THANK GOODNESS!!!! As soon as I unlocked the bach door, I could smell mice. Worse than usual. I was fleetingly pleased I'd not left it any later to arrive, cos time to air the bach out. Then I went inside.
Inside, it was a shambles. The bed was covered in mouse poo, including pillows and the bedside tray. In the kitchen, the bar of soap had been chewed and dragged to the opposite end of the bench. Mouse wee in the sink. Chewed up paper and poo all over the floor. And in the cupboards!! Even a roll of tinfoil had been chewed. Labels chewed off tins of food and off bottles of booze. Boxes not even remotely food were chewed. Out by the loo, things had been knocked off shelves, and BIG rat poo everywhere. No idea how they get in there.
So - all windows and doors wide open. Did I say thank God it wasn't raining? Or cold. There is a good wind, but not enough. Shook all the bedding outside. Vacuumed in, on, under and round the bed. clean sheets on the chewed mattress - well nearly - haven't done that yet. The cupboards got all emptied out and vacuumed. Windowsills, bench, floor. And they even chewed the citronella candles. Put big piles of rat and mouse bait outside under the shed and the bach. Hoped they'd stay out there to eat and not come inside!
A good reminder. Never never never never leave food at all accessible, not even remotely accessible. Even paper is food! And don't forget to put rat bait down (tho I did do it last time). Lots of it! Remember autumn is when it starts to get cold and the vermin come inside to get warm. (apparently everyone's been invaded, even brand new houses) And always plan to arrive in the morning so there's a whole day for cleaning and airing the bach! And preferably bring someone else to do it!
I was re-reading Marilu's comments in the visitors book - thank goodness they didn't find this when they came! That would have been SO bad.
A toastie warm, pitch black night, with rough seas and wind ra
ging outside. Lovely And a chubby wee mouse kept looking out the cupboard door to see if I was still there - no mousetrap. Then Saturday the lagoon filled rapidly with mounds seaweed torn from the ravaged seabed that proceeded to almost completely dam the creek!Sunlight glinting on white spray surging over the rocks, but not over the sandspit, even tho a highish tide. Big brown gulls (baby blackbacks) flying low past the flax, battling the gusts - it's always cool looking down on such big birds flying by. And there's a crazy guy out there kite-surfing - going flat-out and getting huge air!
Anyway, lawns mowed, cupboards cleaned out (wrecked the vacuum cleaner) doors and windows all wide open - lovely wind blowing through. Sand shovelled away from the bottom weatherboard at the back of the bach, shovelled more scoria, ratbait refilled, and new woodshavings bin for the loo. So many chores, no time for Uni assignment! Oh well. Did have time to go visit Charlie tho. Went house hunting with Barbie and Larry.
And another surprise privilege - a kaumatua came down for a korero about my Boyd research, and I found out a huge lot about Whangaroa and Ngapuhi history and developments. More to come.
The creek cleared a little, and although the lagoon is chokker with seaweed, it's lovely to breath in the invigorating, autumn air on a stunning day Sunday - blue, turquoise and green seas, a few whitecaps on a gentle sea.
