A rat run.

A little light pruning this morning to stop the rat run.  Yes, even this far up off the beaten track we have a rat run, but with a difference as this is a real rat which has decided to do it's daily commute via our palm trees, olive tree, terrace roof, grape vines and across the top of the garden gate.

The day before yesterday we heard it pattering over the terrace roof, presumably it had come from Carmen's, up the wall and over our house roof first, then it went down a palm branch, along the ivy-clad fence - but very cleverly the outside so although Pip tried her hardest she couldn't get it - then over the gate and via the olive tree onto the far fence and away.  

In the evening it came back along the fence, up the olive tree, jumped onto the grape vines, down a palm branch and back along the ivy-clad fence.  Chased all the way by the dogs but again it was outside so they could only bark and scrabble at the fence.  Don't know where it's going to - we did see a rat going up into the mulberry tree when that was full of fruit back in June, maybe it's eating the figs now.

So we took the loppers to every palm branch that came anywhere near touching the olive, grapes and house in the hope that it can't jump the gaps and will find a new route home - hopefully further away. 

Unfortunately  Pip, in her desperate attempt to get at the rat, has scratched her eyelid on a bush and  it's all swollen and she can't see from that eye.  The good thing for her though is that it's her bad eye and we're not sure how much vision there usually is in that one,  and she can still see with her good eye.  Has it slowed her down?  Not at all, still careering around before collapsing in the shade.