Diary with Maureen

Hey, how you doing. After long time another report and it is a cracker. We had peeps in and weather was bad. But today I actually set out in light rain down to Central Station. From a bit further up before I get to the flat bit with the big tree I spied with my binoculars two traps turned upside down. Clear indication of maybe a possum. And really first trap D9 had nice possum. Then the other one I saw with glasses had another one. So at Central Station we are back in business. Remember the traps were out of commission because of cows down there.
 
Then over fence and down Piccadilly Line. Nothing at all until trap D19. Big juicy rat. Then on and D21 had another one. After that to D27 right down by the coalmine had yet another rat. Then I go back up to walkway to cross over creek and a whole lot of people on other side ready to cross. I wait. They are a walking group from West Melton, Christchurch. So I tell them what I do and they tell me that a trap further up had a rat in it!
 
Some of them do also trapping. They wondered what my milk bottle tops with the ribbon were doing on the traps. I explained that when the bottle top is hanging out from the trap then nothing is in it. But if it is close to the lid then the trap has been set off and most often something is in it. They said what a clever thing. We have to do it too. Because it saves a lot of time going to the trap and bending down to see whether something is in it. Because sometimes my traps are in the bush a few metres away from the track but I can see the ribbon and the bottle top hanging out so I know and do not need to go down there. It is my invention! And it works!
 
So on I go over creek as well but other way and then the trap they pointed out has indeed yet another rat. That is at the moment D100. Then I get to the end of the line where there is one last rat trap and how lucky another rat! That makes it 5 rats altogether. Not bad. What a relief for the birdies.
 
Then I decide to go on. Look at my watch and only 12.30. So I go down to Embankment. The last trap 66 had a possum. A very young one. But hey possum is possum. Then I realize that my watch is one hour out. We had time change. Summer time now. Not to worry. I still continue up to trap 19 which had nothing. At that spot I can cross over the fence and get to my new traps like famous number 57. It did not disappoint. One very smelly possy. Had not been there for a while. Lucky I can move it into the bush with my walking sticks.
 
Then there I cross over yet another fence back into the bush to number 68. It was also very smelly down there and two possums lying around. I relure and get out of there to 69 which had nothing. Then out of bush over fence again and up to 56 but nothing there. Like a thing possessed zig zagging in and out of the bush.
 
From there on I am on way home up to Northern Line. I did not expect much up there because the traps there are sort of out of commission because of cows. But they are gone there now too so next week I can recharge them all. Then to my surprise number T18 had another possum. That is it I thought until I got to trap T14. Another one! So how many is that? All in all 8 possums!!!!