Some sunlight and blue sky yesterday afternoon, after a rainy morning. Olga and I went to the cemetery, where she romped through the mud.
But before I get to that, let me tell you about the morning. The new TV arrived! Woo hoo! So I removed the old one, along with the Freeview box that we no longer use, and rolled up several cables that no longer have to be connected to anything because all our TV now comes over WiFi. We have finally joined the modern world.
Then I installed the new one, and we set it up, and it looks wonderful -- at least from the standpoint of cleanliness in the living room. Getting rid of that snarl of wires beneath the TV stand (and cleaning the newly exposed floor) makes a world of difference. We got the monitor up and running and more or less programmed, and last night we watched a couple of shows. The picture is going to take some getting used to. It seems quite dark in certain scenes. We found ways to adjust it, but it's apparently a complaint some people have about this particular Samsung television.
I also mopped the rest of the flat, getting rid of that post-renovation dust, and watered the orchids and did some other stuff. And then, after lunch...the cemetery. On the way, Olga and I came across a Christmas market going on in West End Green and a troupe of drummers banging out a rhythm on the adjacent sidewalk. Olga wasn't sure what to make of it. (WARNING: If you watch the video below, you might want to turn your volume down as the drummers were quite loud!)
As you'll also see in the video, Olga had fun in the cemetery, chasing squirrels up trees and then barking randomly when she lost them among the branches.
Muddy undercarriage!
All in all it was a good day, and I feel like I'm getting a handle on things around here once again.
Except, as we went to bed last night, Dave gestured to me, Olga and himself and said, "We three are not the only ones living in this apartment."
"What do you mean?" I said.
Turns out, he saw a mouse in the living room -- a tiny one scurrying along the baseboard. Sigh. I'm not surprised, because a few times I've had that weird sensation of seeing something move out of the corner of my eye and then, when I look, nothing is there. I've got to set some traps today.
You could set Olga to catch the mouse? I guess it might be too quick though! Lex nearly got a squirrel yesterday. He saw it down the garden and I let him out, by which time it had gone behind a plant so didn't see him coming and it ran the wrong way when he arrived! He must have been only a few inches away, but luckily it was quicker than him. Glad he didn't get it, I would have been rather upset!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it's a Russian mouse from upstairs. It's probably spying on you and then the footage is uploaded before being sent to Moscow via the dark web. It's a strange co-incidence that the mouse appeared just after the old TV was removed. There was probably a secret camera in it. Did you check?
ReplyDeletePoor little mouse probably only wants the warmth. I hope you use a humane trap, I'm sure you will. Of course the other thing is that there isn't usually only one.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your kind comment on my post.
Briony
x
So, I take it Olga is not a mouse hunter. (I'm glad.) Maybe she chases squirrels because she knows she'll never catch one.
ReplyDeleteI do wish we lived closer!
The mice have heard that Chez Steve and Dave is a good place for animals and plants.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the mouse's name???
ReplyDeleteI kinda liked the drumming and Olga's barking.
Oh dear. A tiny mousey. I don't like them in my house either.
ReplyDeletei liked what Mitchell said about the reason Olga chases squirrels- because she knows she will never get one.
Good for you, getting the new TV set up! We're getting our TV through the internet now too which in Lloyd, is about the only option. Although I think our internet comes via a phone line although we no longer have a landline.
I do not understand. Not a bit of it.
Our current TV is a Samsung but not hooked up to wifi. There are some movies on Max that won't show the picture. we get sound and subtitles but a black screen so we have to get out the old smaller TV and hook it up to the fire stick if we want to watch something. and we still have cable which I'd like to get rid of.
ReplyDeleteWeird about the darkness with your new TV, but come to think about it, Mike was having trouble watching a movie on ours during the day because the room was too bright to see. Maybe it's just a thing with this style of monitor.
ReplyDeleteI had the same experience when we had mice - just a flick out of the corner of my eye - until I actually saw it scurrying along in the living room. I was ready to live & let live until it built a nest in my kitchen linen drawer.
I wonder if the mouse rode in in the carton with the tv? My next door neighbor reported a mouse to me after he had flooring delivered in cartons. Anyway, still an issue, whatever the source.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to learn how to be a drummer but I never did.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to see Olga enjoying herself outdoors. What a sweetie!
A wee mouse. I like mice but they belong outdoors, with the cold weather, they have other ideas or course. When I worked at the food bank, mice were a big problem. We found a nest of blind little babies once. Nobody knew what to do and I couldn't bring myself to smash them. I put them outside. It was winter and I knew they wouldn't last long but it still bothers me.
ReplyDeleteA mouse--eek! Seriously though, I'm not scared of them although I wouldn't want to live with one. My cat would make short work of any that dared trespass in her domain. Olga is such a majestic dog! Congrats on the new TV (that was a quick delivery) and I'm sure you'll adapt to the picture. It's weird when new TVs don't have the color balance right.
ReplyDeleteI am not afraid of mice, but they simply do not make good roommates! Someone made a comment about humane traps. I can't imagine you using any other kind!
ReplyDeletePs...until the very end, I thought you had mistakenly typed Mus for mud. I kept thinking that I had never seen a typo in your blog.
DeleteOh god, a mouse. This is my one true phobia. I think I must have been alive and poor on the streets in a past life, during the bubonic plague. In London town. This is the story I tell myself, because there is no accounting, really, for how extreme is my fear of the little critters, who everyone insists is more afraid of me than I could ever be of it. It's not quite logical.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy Dave's oblique approach to delivering the news, though, a little riddle before bed.
You've been rather busy. Getting some of those nagging things done makes a big difference in how we feel.
ReplyDeleteI hate to hear a mouse chewing in the middle of the night. Forget going back to sleep at that point. Dave didn't time that announcement very well. Too bad Olga can't catch it for you! (though I prefer the instant gratification of a trap) We've had several good "ratters" in our outside pack as well as an inside Rottweiler. Love seeing Olga "treeing"! I'm surprised she didn't grab some of the branches and shake them like ours will do.
ReplyDeleteYou and Olga have great walks, combining city sidewalks and grassy areas. Her interest in chasing squirrels is going to keep her fit and trim. She is the picture of good health. Your new TV sounds very good. I find when you see one mouse there are usually a few more. They seem not to live alone.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing Olga running and barking and chasing squirrels. I took a couple of photos of squirrels in Russel Square when I was there. I thought of Olga when I saw them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I had the house several years ago, I had a tiny mouse come to visit one day. I saw it scampering near the baseboard and into my bathroom one evening. So I decided that the next day I'd have to get some traps but in the morning I heard this scratching under my sink. I soon realized that the little mouse had gotten trapped in the waste basket under the garbage bag that was lining it. I took the whole thing outside to the alley behind the house and let the little rascal free. It never returned.
The Drummers are drumming well! Playing drums can help boost our mood. Maybe I should get a kids drum set. : ) I had the opportunity to go to a show with the Albannach band (Scottish) and they were great!
ReplyDeleteAll dogs "love" the little critters.
As for the 4th member of the household... something has to be done about it.
Its The Katz Fault - Olga Girl Looks GR8 In Mud
ReplyDeleteCheers
Oh, my, a new t-v, a great walk with a suddenly young-in-appearance Olga once again, and then tragedy: a mouse. I expect a mousetrap or two will take care of that problem in short order, though.
ReplyDeleteDon't be wasting good cheese in those traps, mice like peanut butter on a bit of cracker.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I got my Samsung, I asked my genius daughter to come and set it up for me, I'd pay her with a pizza. She turned it on pushed a couple of buttons and sat down to eat pizza while the TV loaded and programmed itself. Then she set it up so it would play through the DVD player so I would only need the one remote to control both.
These days I don't bother with the DVD player, I don't do any streaming, just watch a little regular TV and then stuff I have on usb's or 4TB hard drives.
Oh no - a mus in the casa - I seem to recall you had a problem before with mice. They are looking for a wee warm spot to live . . . but they multiply like mathematicians, sadly.
ReplyDeleteI had a time adjusting the dark scenes on our Samsungs as well. I'm not sure if I found a setting or just got used to it because I don't notice it anymore.
ReplyDeleteI join you with having an elusive mouse. I've not seen Stuart Little, only his calling cards. Lizzie, of course, is useless. I suppose all I can say is that we co-exist, I hope he is male and not reproducing.
ReplyDeleteOlga is looking GREAT! Loved the video. She's still got it!