Rain... rats!

In keeping with my new found enthusiasm to get back on the home improvement train, I headed outside with my main (little) man yesterday afternoon in the hopes of spraying those weeds in the garden.  After hanging out a load of washing while Alex rode his bike around, I sat down to read the instructions on the weed killer.  And its 2 weeks from spraying to planting - rats!

Oh well, better to get it done sooner rather than later then.  It says on the packet do not use if rain is expected within 6 hours.  So I look up at the sky expecting sunshine and lollipops.. and see this!

Oh no!!!  Rain is on the cards... maybe!  Well sometimes it clouds over like that in Qld and nothing actually comes of it, so I was still hopeful.

Alex wanted to check out the garden, so I took him over to show him the weeds...  I was looking at what needed to be sprayed when all of a sudden Alex went "Aawwww look!  Isn't he cute!!"  He was so enraptured, I managed to stifle my scream!  This is the sight that greeted me...

Not surprising that Alex wanted desperately to bring him inside... we had just finished watching his favourite movie, Ratatouille! 

I came inside to do some googling about exactly what type of rat he was, when the heavens opened, and now my backyard looks like this again...  and don't even talk to me about the load of sheets I'd just hung out!

So there was no spraying of weeds yesterday!  Oh well, hopefully we will get some sunshiney days during the week and I can get out there after work - and fingers crossed no rodents will be present at the time.

And as for my ratty friend?  Well he didn't move very much when we looked at him and his breathing looked quite laboured, so I would say he has probably eaten something poisonous, poor little thing.  I went out after the rain slowed a bit and noticed he was hiding under the metal turtle ornament in the garden, so he hasn't moved far, just enough to be out of the rain (although a bit of his backside and his long, long rodent tail was still poking out.... as much as I don't wish him harm.... just eewwww!!)

My googling has led me to believe that he is a ship rat, as his tail is much longer than his body (nowhere near all of his tail is in the picture I took)...  and apparently they are the most common rats, everywhere.  And now the mystery of what was eating our cabbages in a rather crude fashion has also been solved!  (Apparently they love vege gardens!)

My skin is still crawling though...  Excuse me, won't you, while I go to my happy place?

Bye for now :)