Hot days and feral pests

baby avocado

The Alcatraz of rat traps...

Today the temperature is over 30 and it is unpleasantly hot outside. However, there is shade around the trees, even though they are not high.  Have a look at an avocado. They are quite hard to find as they hang under the leaves so you have to look into the tree to see them.







But the rats are around. A ripe fig was snaffled today. So I have set new traps. They are a hard plastic trap, and I've filled it with peanut butter which seems to appeal. I'm sick of other traps being snapped but the animal gets away. There is a war on as far as I am concerned. I don't mind the odd fruit taken but bites out of every apple, or bits off every cluster of grapes is not on.



The quince are getting ripe. A wallaby got into the garden the other day - not sure how - it jumped a one and a half metre fence twice... I think it was spooked by treecutters working nearby...
The wallaby bashed into the tree but doesn't seem to have done any lasting damage.
Any good quince recipes?  Spanish people used to have membrillo (quince in a sort of slab) with white cheese, which was stunning. Not sure what kind of cheese we have would go with it.

Update on Mum
It is now nearly 2 years since Mum went into the home. Yesterday she saw her great-grandson again, and as usual he put on a stunning show of what he can perform on cue- leg kicking (olympic standard under ones), clapping hands, smiling, waving, and generally flashing his pale blue eyes at anyone who would pay him attention. Mum loved it. She seems to be struggling with numbers now - has difficulty remembering how many babies there are and to whom they belong. She will argue fiercely if anyone tries to correct her. But she appreciates visits and is very positive about her "home".  I left her a music cd this time to see if she likes listening to hymns like she used to.