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I’m back from outer space! Well Pittenweem, much the same thing really. I wasn’t going to come back until Friday or Hogmanay but when I phoned Cal Mac to book they told me all the ferries were full! As it was the last ferry on Wednesday was full by the time I got to it, including the mezzanine deck, I’m hoping there will be a good crowd out on Hogmanay.

It’s just as well I didn’t leave it longer. When I left I knew I’d forgotten to do something, but couldn’t think what it was… It’s been bothering me ever since I left and as soon as I walked in the door this evening, my scream confirmed that yes, I had left the mousetraps set. Now I know a couple of dead mice shouldn’t be a problem but after a week on the under floor heated kitchen tiles? Luckily I had remembered to turn the heating down so they were desiccated and came off the floor easily rather than melted onto it. Once I’d dealt with carcasses, disinfected the floor, decanted the bread bin, emptied the fridge of ancient remnants and taken the stinking mass down to the wheelie bin, the kitchen was decidedly more habitable for me and less attractive to the mice.

So in one way turning the heating down was a good idea… but the reason I’m up at 3am writing this instead of cosily tucked up fast a snoozy sleep in bed is because my bedroom is too cold to be habitable. I’ve been shivering up there for the last three hours. When I had finished the mouse removal I finally got my coat off then put it back on again, grabbed my torch and headed off to the woodpile, so have had a fire roaring all night. Sadly there are no fireplaces upstairs but as the heating has been on for hours I’m off up to the artic now. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, what’s everyone up to for Hogmanay? Night, night. Brrrrr…… Hope the mice don’t get in beside me to keep warm.

Calumannabel will y' hurry up wi' this fank ma' feet are freezin'!