Every evening recently we have been having ‘fruit salad’ and cream – some plums, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Sadly we missed most of the blackberries because of visiting family and the work we’ve been involved in.

Then there is the matter of the wasps….

We have a patio in the front garden and were sitting having a nice drink and enjoying the good weather. Beloved kept noticing the wasps and realised they were going into a crack under the sill of our bay window!!! Now, I had previously noticed (for some time, actually) strange goings on behind the panelling of the bay window. 

As I sat in the living room of an evening, I would occasionally hear a scratching sound. I thought it was mice. Beloved assured me it was not. We previously had mice and managed to get rid of them, but they couldn’t get behind the panelling in the living room as it’s hard for them to chew through stone, and any holes dug down deep would go into the basement, not behind the living room panelling.

Also at night I would sometimes hear a purring noise. That definitely wasn’t a mouse – it sounded much bigger. I thought perhaps it was next door’s cat, but reasoned that I wouldn’t hear it that loudly through a stone wall.

Now it all makes sense. If it is wasps, all beating their little wings for a while, then that would explain it. So Beloved bought wasp-death powder and liberally sprinkled it at the entrance to their nest (and, annoyingly, on my tomato plants – but special circumstances warrant forgiveness in this instance). The wasps are still around and seem to be taking their time to die. But I haven’t heard any ‘purring’ in the past two days.

Once they seem to be dead, Beloved will block up the hole in case another lot wants to take up residence.

Meanwhile: