RIP Rat!

Good grief I am shattered! This is why!
Up before 7 am after a night of disturbed sleep due to high wind and rain thrown against the roof and window in the attic! Quick coffee, fed Fat Cat, fed fish,  opened  and fed Milly and Tilly! Discovered my Gothic style window had been blown over outside and plants on their side. Was just putting back  the pergola the Morning Glories are climbing up and noticed movement at the side of me - looked down to see a huge rat sniffing at my ankle! I yelped and jumped, rat tumbled over then ran between  the pots! I went inside!
First stop on leaving the house was a drive to the next town and the Post Office  to pick up a parcel. The road out was having resurfacing done, but at that time all was quiet, but noticed a sign saying "wait for convey vehicle."   Having collected the parcel it was back  to the village  to the chickens - allotment first, cleaned the coop and then on to my friends  for another cleaning session! Once home I went outside and peered around the pots to see if the rat was still there - it was! But it was on it's side, so I grabbed a bamboo cane and prodded it - it's legs twitched and that was all - decided to leave it once more and walked Portly! Going up by the station met several people I knew waiting for the train! So a quick chat as Portly greeted everyone that walked by excitedly! After yesterday it was a glorious morning, mild and sunny! Would have been a good day for a walk on the moors!!
By 10.30 I was showered and dressed and off to pick up Friend! Although I took a detour to avoid the road works we were running late as the road seemed to be full of idiot drivers - including those who would not pull over to let  ambulances past, and at the traffic lights onto the huge roundabout just before the hospital, the people in the two lanes next to me went through red lights as it was grid locked and the cars to the right on the roundabout with the green light were waiting to let an ambulance through! Total selfish idiots!
Long wait at the hospital for bloods to be taken  after appointment, they plan to take Friend off one chemo drug that is causing her fingers to go numb. Then off to Tavistock for lunch in the sun by the river! After that we headed to the walking shop! Well that was fun! Luckily they had everything I wanted in my size and the colour I wanted and at reduced prices!  I now know an awful lot about everything to do with boots, waterproofs, rucksacks and  walking sticks! My have things changed in the 30 years since I last bought a pair of boots! ( I still wear them too but they are no things of beauty and decided I deserved a new pair!)
On the way back to the car - disaster! Noticed my coat that I had slung over my bag was gone! Thinking I had left it at the greengrocers where I had bought sweetcorn for the chickens, I went back and Friend headed to sit in the car as she was now feeling tired. Noluck. So back to the  car and drive back to the walking shop round the one way system - noluck. Walked back down into high street looking everywhere to greengrocers - no luck.  Stopped at virtually every shop on way back to see if it had been handed in  - no luck. It started to rain - could have done with a coat! But someone else is now enjoying it's gorgeousness!
Finally -home! I looked outside at rat - finally dead! So grabbing a poop bag I picked it up. Now what I ask you, could be worse than a dead rat? A dead rat covered in fleas! Man did they scurry and jump all over the rat and off it! So I double bagged it! That will go in the doggy poop bin on Portly's walk tomorrow! 
Time to get my photo for blip inspired by rat! Blip taken off to close chickens! They had eaten nearly all the pellets I had put in their feeder the previous day, so refilled it for the morning and discovered the bag was nearly empty. So downstairs to see if they had another! They did and it was heavy! Had to heave it up the stairs one step at atime! Then I decided to fill the wild bird feeders of which there are 7! Took me ages to work out how to get them down, and it meant standing on the center raised bed to unhook them from the tree! Then I had to work out how to get the lids off - they are designed to stop squirrels getting at them - and me it turns out! After filling 2 I gave up! 
Finally home! Exhausted! Blip done, time for bed! After all - 3 chicken coops  to open in the morning! Plus the next 2 nights with the allotment girls and friends don't return till next wednesday! But if it rains at least I have waterproof trousers to wear and a stick to stop me falling in the mud! 

P.S. Shoulders ached a little today  but otherwise nothing but tiredness from yesterday's walk!!