Chihuahua's Bite.

The World Cup is over, but as the Italians celebrate over the next few days, another world cup plays itself out at our home on the farm.

We’ve had our fair share of wildlife in and around the house over the past months, with the passing of summer into autumn into winter, and we will have our share of newcomers as spring breaks, just over a month away.

I’ve had crickets in my shoes and spiders in my stack of Jerseys. We found one snake between our feet one summer’s day, while I was cooking, and another seeking warmth from the approaching winters cold, behind the refrigerator. They we’re all photographed and returned to the veld.

We’ve always had field mice in the ceiling and lived with it, as we do with the mosquitoes and annoying flies during summer.

But the newcomers are downright intrusive and noisy. With them they bring filth and disease, not to mention the ability to spread wanton destruction wherever they make their home. Not unlike Nazi vandals let loose in a Jewish cemetery.

Yes, fellow citizens. Rats have invaded our home!
At first we tried to ignore the scurrying, up and down the length of the ceiling of the house. But, when they continued noisily into the early hours of the morning, and started entering the house, I decided to have a look see what can be done about the menace. Two nights ago I grabbed a ladder and armed with a piece of rubber piping, climbed up the ladder and eased open the trapdoor.

I had no idea what to expect, but visions of a fat albino rat in the corner, popping out newborn rat-vandals, every few seconds, did pass fleetingly through my vivid imagination.
So I decided to get the lead-light from the garage first. You know, so I can see where I’m going and not fall through the ceiling and land at dearest’ feet in the lounge. I should mention here that I have an absolute hate for the furry fuckers. I don’t fear them, I just hate them. (Some dignity restored, I hope)

Anyhow, back at the ladder, I opened the door, and shone the light around. I heard them scurrying in all directions and saw shadows rising and falling as I called back to my brother to hold the light so I could move freely.

In the middle against the nearest wall was The Nest. A large mound of grass and twigs, with a few dead mice in various stages of decay, scattered nearby. After we established that the rats had left the building, we started by plugging all the holes and cracks along the roof.

Little did we know that they were in fact hiding under the foam insulation around the geyser, and would be back to their semi-final playoff the moment we had closed the door and returned to the lounge.

The following night we returned to the lair and removed the nest and all the foam insulation, and closed more holes we missed the previous night.

And finally last night there was no noise at all. The rat poison we had left was all but finished, and the dead rats in the garden was a telltale sign that at least the stuff works. I will do some more cleaning over the weekend and lay out some more poison

Seb Blatter closed the 2006 World Cup Final on Sunday. Hopefully the Rat final ended last night.