Friday 11 January 2019

Things That Go Scratch in the Night...

This is the countryside.  The French countryside. With animals.  And insects. And birds. And spiders.  And lumpy lawns from the moles. And squirrels that steal your fat balls...

But I've been woken up a few times in the night by a scratching at my bedroom door.  Soooooooooo loud! Well, I assumed it was the cat, of course, but there was no miaou - just the constant scratching.  I shouted, and it stopped.  I banged on the door, and it stopped. But nothing stopped it for long.

Then, a couple of days ago I noticed bits on the floor at the doorway...

and they had obviously come from the bottom of the door...



Blasted cat, I thought!

But, this morning I found out it was NOT the cat. She was already in the room, asleep on my bed when I heard the scratching again.  I opened the door, but saw nothing.  I left it ajar so that, if it was a mouse, or a dormouse, Cinders would see it and catch it, hopefully.

She sat on the edge of the bed, watching, and the culprit was obviously there, as she was VERY interested.  She jumped down and sat by the doorway and then, along came the culprit! Just as if it was out for a Sunday stroll. A little brown furry creature. 

Cinders saw it and cocked her head to one side (no sign of chasing it!) and the vole (for, yes, that was the creature) saw Cinders. Neither moved for a second and then, fairly leisurely, the vole turned tail (a short stubby one) and pattered back along the landing. After a few seconds, Cinders moved out of the doorway and looked along the landing - no vole. So, nothing happening, Cinders returned to the bedroom and looked at me. 'What's for breakfast then' that look said...



2 comments:

Unknown said...

Apologies Cinders, for assuming it was you ...... but then you do have a reputation !!

Elizabethd said...

I have a vole in the garden, so sweet. It lives in a hole under the bird feeder and pops up every now and then to grab a seed. Yours obviously likes the taste of paint.