Years ago Lou and I bought a ramshackle cabin high above a flood meadow right next to the river Severn at Bewdley. the place was a wooden building that was built in 1897 as a fishermans retreat, It had potential and we got it cheap. As I say it was made of wood 4 x 3 clad on the outside with tongue and groove and plastered on the inside with wicker and daub.When we moved in no one had lived in it for ten years and it was pretty much alive with all sorts of animals between the cladding and plaster. Some nights we lay awake listening to the mice, the squirrel, the owl and the bats coming and going just inches from our heads. It never really bothered us as we felt like we had invaded their privacy and tbh they soon began to move out once we began making it an home for ourselves. All except the bats, the owl and one very determined mouse "Mr Rich tea" so called because he was very adept at nicking our Rich tea biscuits. Mr Rich tea would get in behind the built in cutlery cupboard from the wall cavity, steal an whole Rich tea biscuit from the packet and make his way up the cupboard into the cutlery drawer then sit safely munching on his ill gotten gains until he had his fill. We tried traps. blocking up holes and we even left the cupboard door open so the cat might get him, but he was too clever. he tiptoed around the traps, made new holes and never showed himself when the door was left open. A mighty clever foe this little mouse was making, However he did have one failing. He never seemed to notice when we left the cutlery drawer slightly open, The cat would sit there on the drainer listening intently as Mr Rich tea munched on his bounty. the cat knew he was there and he knew the cat was there but he felt secure in the knowledge the cat could not get in. He had become complacent. Each night before I went to bed I left the drawer slightly open and each night the mouse came and ate a biscuit in it, each night the cat " Toby" sat patiently waiting and each night I left the drawer slightly wider open. One morning we woke to find the gnawed remains of Mr Rich tea strewn along our kitchen floor, it was obvious our elusive night raider had put up a fight, but the cunning cat had proved too much of an adversary and had finally got the tiny biscuit bandit in his claws. The bitten off head lay next to the dog basket,the dog looked nonchalantly at it with an almost disgusted look on her face, but never moved from her comfy spot. I got the dustpan and brush to clear away the remains of Mr Rich tea and began the morbid task. Then It dawned on me that I had enjoyed the chase but not the kill. In fact for the next few weeks I kept listening out for the now departed Mr Rich tea to make his way along the inside of the ceiling, down the cavity behind the cupboard and on into the drawer, it had become a routine for us too, and I was bit sad to have been the master of his demise. Sometimes it's best to just live and let live methinks!
