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25/7/2022

The Kids: Ruadhri, Aoife and Meabh

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​Today was such a fun day. Jon came out with his three grandkids and daughter in law. The day looked reasonably good and we decided to go for a look at some traps. We did Waterloo Line as Charlie Brown is busy on the other side.
 
Off we go and the little one, seven years old I think, first running down towards Central Station and the stile followed by the second one, nine years and the third, eleven years. He was the oldest. Do not ask me about their names. They all have Gaelic names. Like the boy is spelt Ruadhrí, Aoife one girl and Méabh the other. 
 
I tell them to wait and then we cross stile and I tell them to walk behind me just for safety. It works for a while but then they suddenly are first. Well we get to first possum trap and I look down and there is a possum in it! I call out and we all look down and they all say can we go down. Jon volunteers to go down with them and remove the possum. Only the head left really. But all very excited!
 
Then I let them run first. I explained that the wooden boxes are for rats and that when the ribbon and bottel top is hanging out then there is nothing in it but when it is close to the lid then most likely there is something in it. So then they go off and not long I hear screaming and shouts: there is something in it! and then a rat, a rat.
 
I give Ruadhri the key to open the box and nice large rat in it. They all ask can I touch it. No I say and Jon removes the rat and resets the trap. Then all of them have a close look at the rat and Jon throws it into the bush. Off they go and another scream and another we got something. Well it was another rat just in the next trap. We do the same but one of the girls wants to open the box. Why not.
 
All done and dusted and they off again. And scream again. We got a possum! And true enough the next possum trap had a possum. I go down to remove the possum and they want to come and look. Can I see its face? So I have to lift it up and turn it around so they can see the eyes! Then I throw it into the bush.
 
Then we make our way to the end of line and nothing more. Back to stile and it is only two o’clock and I suggest to go down Piccadilly Line for a bit and they want to. Off we go and in the second box they discover another rat! This time the smallest girl wants to open the box. Again we remove rat and reset.
 
Then I go off with the two oldest ones and just around the corner they spot the next trap with the ribbon sucked in and of course scream again. Another rat! Then we go some more and again trap looks activated but when we get there nothing in it. By now we have gone quite far along line and we call it a day. It started raining as well by now.
 
So two possums and four rats! 

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2 Comments
Sue
25/7/2022 09:59:54 pm

A great and instructive time was had by all!

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Róisín
26/7/2022 01:17:18 am

Thanks Robbie, the kids & I had a great time. It was a very memorable day for them. Lovely report. Such great work that you do.

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