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Post by Steve Hopwood on Nov 1, 2006 23:12:25 GMT
The piano tuner came today to tune and voice the piano, also to sort out the key that had dipped to rest in a lower position than all the others. This is usually a sign that the cord holding part of the mechanism in place is faulty. He did the tuning, then called me through. He had removed the keyboard and pointed to some dark debris consisting of small black bits. "See that?" he asked gleefully. "That is mouse droppings." He had also found a chewed Heroes wrapping; the dip in the key was caused by another bit that had got caught in the mechanism. So, the scenario is this. Mouse is born, grows up and leaves home to fend for himself. Mouse wanders into a house containing 5 pussycats, none of whom take any notice, discovers the piano and a ready supply of food and thinks, "Aha. Nice little pad here. This will do.", signs the mortgage and moves in. I assume this is the mouse I rescued from behind the fridge a few weeks ago. It must have got thirsty, left the comfort of home and got cornered by the moggies. So, what were these wretched, barely-animated ornaments doing whilst the estate agent was conducting the viewing, I ask myself? Funnily enough, Helen said she though she could hear a mouse during her piano lesson at around about the right time. "Yeah. Right, Helen. In a house with 5 moggies? Just concentrate on the piece dear, ok?" Helen will howl when I tell her the story. Still, it could have been worse. Tuner was once called in to sort out a grand piano where several keys had sunk so far that they were no longer playable. Every few days another would so collapse. He opened up the instrument and found a whole, and clearly occupied, mouse nest inside. The mechanism was gradually being strangled by doggie biscuits causing obstructions. ;D  |
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Post by Benj on Nov 1, 2006 23:53:57 GMT
 What did you do with the mouse?  |
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Post by anacrusis on Nov 1, 2006 23:59:14 GMT
And did you give it a Hero for its efforts? ;D
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Post by hoxie on Nov 2, 2006 7:54:57 GMT
Hahaha! That's sweet (though not that great for your piano!) I remember a mouse moving into our rabbit's hutch (whilst the rabbit was still inside) They seemed to get on pretty well until the door was opened and the mouse decided the garage was nicer after all  |
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Post by possom on Nov 2, 2006 8:27:51 GMT
and I thought I was safe from mice being an owner of 3 pussycats  You really should give the mouse a reward for being so brave ;D |
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Post by jod on Nov 2, 2006 9:00:46 GMT
Your moggies obviously need a lesson from Plato and Gandalf... Gandalf in particular who is a mouser extraodinaire. I'd know if there was a mouse in my piano Gandalf would take a special interest in it.
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Post by Benj on Nov 2, 2006 10:11:57 GMT
Hahaha! That's sweet (though not that great for your piano!) I remember a mouse moving into our rabbit's hutch (whilst the rabbit was still inside) They seemed to get on pretty well until the door was opened and the mouse decided the garage was nicer after all My rabbit lives with a mouse |
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Post by hoxie on Nov 2, 2006 19:37:10 GMT
Hahaha! That's sweet (though not that great for your piano!) I remember a mouse moving into our rabbit's hutch (whilst the rabbit was still inside) They seemed to get on pretty well until the door was opened and the mouse decided the garage was nicer after all My rabbit lives with a mouse Awww!! That's really sweet!! |
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Post by anacrusis on Nov 2, 2006 23:37:43 GMT
We don't have mogs - or mutts - but the downstairs flat had a black retriever-collie cross, and when they were doing kitcheny things, a mouse got in and scarpered up the wall cavity to our flat. For some reason it had a particular liking for my husband, who was to be heard squawking from time to time when it popped out to surprise him. We borrowed one of those non-squishing sentimental traps and caught the little squeaker, but our neighbours had pleaded with us to be shown it - this we duly did, emptying the trap into a deep cardboard box. Whereupon the rodent shot a couple of feet vertically into the air and escaped again.  ;D When we finally caught the marauder again, we took it for a walk before letting it out, in the hope that it would not find the way back...    |
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Nov 2, 2006 23:45:43 GMT
We don't have mogs - or mutts - but the downstairs flat had a black retriever-collie cross, and when they were doing kitcheny things, a mouse got in and scarpered up the wall cavity to our flat. For some reason it had a particular liking for my husband, who was to be heard squawking from time to time when it popped out to surprise him. We borrowed one of those non-squishing sentimental traps and caught the little squeaker, but our neighbours had pleaded with us to be shown it - this we duly did, emptying the trap into a deep cardboard box. Whereupon the rodent shot a couple of feet vertically into the air and escaped again. ;D When we finally caught the marauder again, we took it for a walk before letting it out, in the hope that it would not find the way back... You brute. You have broken the heart of a little mouse. It will be disconsolately stroking a photo of your husband. It will be disconsolately sniffing the air, whiskers twitching, hoping to catch a whiff of its loved one. It will awake from hubby-dominated dreams, only to discover that the dream was exactly that. Sadist. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by anacrusis on Nov 4, 2006 0:10:07 GMT
My husband is feeling quite flattered at so much murine attention. Think I ought to suspend foruming, to ensure my place in his affections.... ;D (gaaah, he's watching Jonathon Ross) |
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Post by princessmoose on Nov 4, 2006 0:12:17 GMT
I was watching Johnathon Ross... Ben Affleck was on it...mmmm  . |
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Post by jod on Nov 5, 2006 17:36:47 GMT
We don't have mogs - or mutts - but the downstairs flat had a black retriever-collie cross, and when they were doing kitcheny things, a mouse got in and scarpered up the wall cavity to our flat. For some reason it had a particular liking for my husband, who was to be heard squawking from time to time when it popped out to surprise him. We borrowed one of those non-squishing sentimental traps and caught the little squeaker, but our neighbours had pleaded with us to be shown it - this we duly did, emptying the trap into a deep cardboard box. Whereupon the rodent shot a couple of feet vertically into the air and escaped again. ;D When we finally caught the marauder again, we took it for a walk before letting it out, in the hope that it would not find the way back... You brute. You have broken the heart of a little mouse. It will be disconsolately stroking a photo of your husband. It will be disconsolately sniffing the air, whiskers twitching, hoping to catch a whiff of its loved one. It will awake from hubby-dominated dreams, only to discover that the dream was exactly that. Sadist. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Come on Steve, Which would you rather have... moggy dinner, bijoux murine residence in your piano, or pining mouse in pastures new. I thought i was cruel when I gave the cats a special treat for eating the mice they caught... wasn't so impressed by the goldfinch! |
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Post by Dulciana on Nov 5, 2006 23:38:29 GMT
We were nice to a mouse once...it fell into the dog's food bin (swing bin where we keep the dried food), so eldest provided it with bedding...eventually I got a neighbour to release same in nearby field, wherupon it went and told all its mates about us...we eventually caught nine of them under our bed...
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Post by anacrusis on Nov 6, 2006 0:34:26 GMT
....and the little one said.... ;D apparently you have to take them at least a mile away, and preferably more. My parents got some very odd looks from their neighbours one night when they emerged from their house, cardboard box in hand, to take their little nibbler for a very late drive. |
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