Julia took the photos for this post, including the sunset, which appears to have been made less colourful by the camera. Isn’t it always the way?
Looks like butter wouldn’t melt in its mouth, doesn’t it? Based on size and colour, we seem to have four regular visitors. And based on the way the seed is going they are all eating well. I know there’s more to nature gardening than just feeding birds, but it’s not as if squirrels really need much help to prosper.
It looks like it is time to bring some gardening tools down, as things are starting to happen and we will need to get on top of it. That means it’s definitely time to start the compost heap. I’ve been putting it off because Julia always worries about compost attracting rats, and has been particularly jumpy after we spotted the rats a while back. Me, I’ve rarely seen a rat near compost – they tend to have better things to do in suburbia, where there is plenty of decking to hide under, and plenty of spilled bird food. Some people down our old road even used to put food out for foxes overnight, which is a surefire way to get rats.
A leap like that deserves a few seeds . . .
Meanwhile, it’s been a slow week for reading blogs. I’m sorry about that, but I left myself with a lot to do this week and am only just coming down to earth after a marathon writing session. I’m hoping to catch up with my reading this week before starting on a slightly more sensible writing spree this month. I have ten submissions to do, if I move to each form being a separate submission, which doesn’t sound much better, but if I start now instead of leaving it for three weeks I should be in much better shape to get it all done.
And finally, a robin.
I add my voice to those saying that we don’t have rats in our compost, even though it may be inviting disaster to say so. We don’t put kitchen waste in the compost.
I do. And I don’t have rats in it. I had rats in the shed once, but they were other people’s rats. Even then, they didn’t go in my compost. I will monitor the compost but I’m not expecting rats.
We don’t have rats that I am aware of either, but do have plenty of gophers, moles, voles and mice. 🙂
I’m sure I’m capable of keeping the garden rat free by cleaning food waste and composting properly. Julia closed the holes under the fence and this seems to have done the trick for the moment. If there is no spi9lled food there is no reason for them to come.
We don’t have rats in our compost either. However, there don’t seem to be many rats that live by the edge of the woods. At least if there are, we don’t see them.
I don’t think compost attracts rats really – it just seems to have this reputation amongst non-composters. I expect that if you live on the edge of the woods rats are viewed as an aperitif by many of tyhe animals living there.
For what it is worth, we don’t have rats at our compost
As I recall it was next door that had the rats – it’s a similar problem here. Since we blocked the holes under the fence we have seen no more rats.
You are right, Quercus. Next door don’t keep fowl any more so rats don’t come seeking their food
That’s so often the case. Neighbours feed rats and they come to visit.
I think I am having an 80 yo brain fade. I remember reading this and I thought I had commented but no. I may have but then not clicked the right button. I think I asked you to say something about Bee Banks and Bug hotels and now I see that there is a post so I’ll click the right button and hurry away.
🙂 It happens to me sometimes too. Keep pressing buttons and eventually stuff happens.
Lovely.