A Little Wood Mouse.

A bit brighter today with enough wind to dry the washing out on the line.

This morning I went down into the garden to empty out the cafetiere (better for the drains and the plants) when to my surprise I saw a wood mouse sitting on the paving eating one of the seeds I had put out earlier for the birds.

I was concerned that it was just sitting there in the open, an easy target for the many large birds that would love a mouse for their breakfast. Normally they are very cautious little creatures but this one didn't mind me getting quite close to it. When I got too close it ran off to a crevasse between some stones but soon popped out again.

In an effort to dissuade it from coming out into the open I put some seeds close to the wall. It ate some but then went up and sat in the sun. I'm hoping that rather than being ill its lethargy was down to being unable to feed in yesterday's awful weather. Small animals need to eat constantly to maintain their fast metabolisms.

To give it some protection against flying predators I put garden chairs where it was sitting. There's not much else I can do. Once the batteries are charged I'll put the trail cam down there to see if there's any further activity.

I spent a lot of the day outside, washing. First the balustrade glass and the main windows which were nicely frosted over with sea salt. Plus I needed to remove the result of a flypast by a flock of incontinent seagulls.

Then I turned my attention to the car. Considering how meticulous I am in keeping the house and garden clean and tidy the poor car is quite neglected. To me a car is simply a way to get from A to B and I'm happy as long as I can see out of the windows and the number plates are clearly visible. After giving the car a cursory clean last week I decided to get rid of all the moss growing in the trim and around the windscreen. That was mainly because the moss traps water and was blocking the channels that let the water drain from the roof. 

There was a surprising amount of moss and mud in the rubber roof trim and more down the sides of the windscreen. The end of a cable tie proved to be the best tool for scooping out everything clogging up the sides of the windscreen glass. It took a long time but eventually it was done. The rest of the car got a wash as I tried to work out if the small black marks were dirt or chips in the paintwork (some were). Before replacing the roof trim I gave it a spray with weed killer to keep the moss from growing back.

My last job of the day, after a rest, was to iron the duvet cover that had been on the line.