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Wild weather and a rat
Whaddaya know - another post!
We had a company planning day yesterday, held down at Westhaven Marina. When I woke, I could hear howling wind and rain, and suspected it wouldn't be the pleasant seaside day we were hoping for. I'd intended to travel along the waterfront via Tamaki Drive but I could see the traffic heading that way wasn't moving so tried another route down toward the sea. That was blocked too so I had to take to the motorway. And that was scary enough in driving rain and 130kph winds that rocked the car. I took an hour to get to the marina; it should have been 20-25 minutes. The company directors however had started a lot earlier and actually made it to the waterfront, a mistake which made their journey two hours. Some of us spent the morning barefoot as we'd got soaked from the knees down just getting inside even though we'd parked right outside the building.
Yep, this was the sort of storm they predicted recently that was a bit of a fizzer. Where were the warnings this week?
What was happening on Tamaki Drive that caused traffic chaos?
Photos from the NZ Herald
You can't even see the road
I heard one guy even had to swim from his abandoned car
The day started an hour late but we got everything done, then had dinner at Billfish; cajun spicy fish and salad for me; yum! I was exhausted after storm and full-on talk and presentations and was looking forward to bed, but when I got there, the almost solid smell in the kitchen/dining area (which I had to pass to get to the stairs) drove me back into the living room.
It was Jasmin's rat. She brought in a big one about three nights ago and released it in the kitchen and it promptly ran behind the dishwasher. We'd hoped it had got out the hole in the floor for the pipes but no. Greg had the dishwasher out, then the fridge, and finally found it behind the oven. Ugh.
Today is sunny and calm. I hope it stays that way; I know two lots of people who are camping out over the break.
We had a company planning day yesterday, held down at Westhaven Marina. When I woke, I could hear howling wind and rain, and suspected it wouldn't be the pleasant seaside day we were hoping for. I'd intended to travel along the waterfront via Tamaki Drive but I could see the traffic heading that way wasn't moving so tried another route down toward the sea. That was blocked too so I had to take to the motorway. And that was scary enough in driving rain and 130kph winds that rocked the car. I took an hour to get to the marina; it should have been 20-25 minutes. The company directors however had started a lot earlier and actually made it to the waterfront, a mistake which made their journey two hours. Some of us spent the morning barefoot as we'd got soaked from the knees down just getting inside even though we'd parked right outside the building.
Yep, this was the sort of storm they predicted recently that was a bit of a fizzer. Where were the warnings this week?
What was happening on Tamaki Drive that caused traffic chaos?
Photos from the NZ Herald
You can't even see the road
I heard one guy even had to swim from his abandoned car
The day started an hour late but we got everything done, then had dinner at Billfish; cajun spicy fish and salad for me; yum! I was exhausted after storm and full-on talk and presentations and was looking forward to bed, but when I got there, the almost solid smell in the kitchen/dining area (which I had to pass to get to the stairs) drove me back into the living room.
It was Jasmin's rat. She brought in a big one about three nights ago and released it in the kitchen and it promptly ran behind the dishwasher. We'd hoped it had got out the hole in the floor for the pipes but no. Greg had the dishwasher out, then the fridge, and finally found it behind the oven. Ugh.
Today is sunny and calm. I hope it stays that way; I know two lots of people who are camping out over the break.
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Ugh, the rat situation, how disgusting! I'm glad that my cats are so far mainly catching lizards.
A workmate of mine is going camping as well. It's not going to be an easy Easter for outdoor pursuits.
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Lizards are the main prey here too; we rescue the live one (a cardboard tube closed at one end so it's dark and they usually rush in so we can release them in the garden) but we still find dessicated ones occasionally.
Today's been nice here, but that storm's caused a lot of damage all over the country.
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Rat :(
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It's the first time we haven't managed to rescue mammalian prey (we can't always catch the lizards) and release it outside. :-(
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And yuck at the rat. Gaah, not something you ever want to have to hunt for in your kitchen.
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Yet when I drove home, all was eerily dry and calm.
Greg thinks the rat might have been electrocuted but the oven still works.
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Now that story almost convinces me never to have a cat.
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I've had cats almost all my life, and this has happened only a couple of times. Two previous cats just sat on the couch and looked at a mouse that emerged from the kitchen; they weren't bothered at all. Jasmin's the one to watch.
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There's this nasty little weasel who wants to kill all the cats in NZ for preying on native birds, but in fact they mainly catch rats and mice who would otherwise have no predators as they're introduced species themselves. Ours have only caught a handful of sparrows; not one native bird.
And for that matter they bring in everything alive and relatively unhurt because I think they just want to show us and play with their catch. It's us who have to try to rescue everthing.
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Rats, urgh.
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My Navarre was a ratter, but he never brought them back alive - always made sure they were dead. He left half a rat under the Xmas tree once. It was the back half - I wonder if I was meant to use the tail to hang it from the tree ?
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They all bring in live lizards and cicadas which we then catch if we can and release outside, but Jasmin seems to be the one going for mammals. She had a field mouse cornered in one of Greg's trainers one morning and was sitting there watching intently but unable to reach it behind the tongue. We released that one outside too (with Jasmin safely shut in).
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Ours have only ever brought in a live sparrow or two, fortunately. Mind you trying to evict the terrified bird while the cat "helps" would be fuel for a You Tube hit, but we never think to reach for a camera.
Calidor has presented us with the odd dead mouse but only left by the back door. Considering Loki's habits with his toy mice I get the feeling he may do a Jasmin as soon as he is old enough and lucky enough to catch anything bigger than a bumble bee.
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Tell me about Loki - a new kitten? And Calidor too; I don't think I've seen photos.
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http://siliconshaman.livejournal.com/1147977.html
We've had Calidor a while, he's the one who had to have the op on his tail.
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