The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

PasturesNew

Pyxis wrote: »

It could be worse...... it could be a very angry squirrel!

At least I can kick the squirrel.
It's difficult to kick a 7 year old as you're never sure who's watching .... and it doesn't make them go away in the future... kick a squirrel and you might not see it again... kick a child and it's still out there the next day. .. possibly with a policeman, pointing at you and saying "that old lady mister".

Pyxis

PasturesNew wrote: »

At least I can kick the squirrel.
It's difficult to kick a 7 year old as you're never sure who's watching .... and it doesn't make them go away in the future... kick a squirrel and you might not see it again... kick a child and it's still out there the next day. .. possibly with a policeman, pointing at you and saying "that old lady mister".

On the other hand, kick an angry squirrel and it might go away....... but then it could be back with a whole forest-full of squirrels with very sharp teeth, not to mention a battalion of badgers, ditto teeth, and an airforce of dive-bombing seagulls, ditto beaks.

PasturesNew

Pyxis wrote: »

On the other hand, kick an angry squirrel and it might go away....... but then it could be back with a whole forest-full of squirrels with very sharp teeth, not to mention a battalion of badgers, ditto teeth, and an airforce of dive-bombing seagulls, ditto beaks.

I can probably legally shoot most of those .... can't do that with a child either.

Squirrels are definitely coming out as preferable here... more options.

I've already got gazillions of seagulls, they aren't dive-bombing this year. I've also got a little robin ... and a hedgehog!

Pyxis

PasturesNew wrote: »

I can probably legally shoot most of those .... can't do that with a child either.

Squirrels are definitely coming out as preferable here... more options.

I've already got gazillions of seagulls, they aren't dive-bombing this year. I've also got a little robin ... and a hedgehog!

Not gulls or badgers you can't, according to a quick google.

Squirrels you can.

However, you'd need a gun licence!
Oh, and a gun! :D

PasturesNew

Pyxis wrote: »

Not gulls or badgers you can't, according to a quick google.

About 20 years ago a friend of mine bought a new build house. The estate had been built on a large garden of a 1900-1920s house and there was an "earth bank" between her garden and the garden of the older house...

The first thing she did was have the small back garden landscaped, with electrical wires buried under the earth, supplying power to garden lights .... and along came the badgers that lived in the earth mound ... and they dug them up.

My friend was a short/stout woman, aged about 50 ... and she's not having that ... so she went out to try to "secure" the boundary better, to prevent them getting in/through.... and as she stood on the earth bank, she suddenly disappeared up to her waist as the badger burrow beneath her feet gave way

Not ideal... as she lived alone.

chris_m

Pyxis wrote: »

Not gulls or badgers you can't, according to a quick google.

Squirrels you can.

However, you'd need a gun licence!
Oh, and a gun! :D

Oi, not British squirrels you can't. They are a protected species, so leave Nutkin alone.

Grey American Tree Rats, however, are classed as pests and as such are fair game.

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

and as she stood on the earth bank, she suddenly disappeared up to her waist as the badger burrow beneath her feet gave way

There's a road a few miles from me that is closed due to badgers living under it. It's an unclassified road that leads to about two houses and there is another way round so I can't see it being fixed any time soon.

A more major road further away was also closed due to badgers but, being more major and with no alternatives (oh and leading to a visitor centre), did get fixed - although it took rather longer than it would have done if it was only caused by, say, an overflowing beck undermining the road.

Pyxis

chris_m wrote: »

Oi, not British squirrels you can't. They are a protected species, so leave Nutkin alone.

Grey American Tree Rats, however, are classed as pests and as such are fair game.

Well, there are so few places left where there are red squirrels that I never include them in the term 'squirrel'.
Otnerwise, I'd say 'red squirrel'.

I know that you have some populations in Cumbria, so you might get to see the odd red squirrel! but the only reds I've ever seen were on Brownsea Island and on the IoW.

Jackmydad

Pyxis wrote: »

Well, there are so few places left where there are red squirrels that I never include them in the term 'squirrel'.
Otnerwise, I'd say 'red squirrel'.

I know that you have some populations in Cumbria, so you might get to see the odd red squirrel! but the only reds I've ever seen were on Brownsea Island and on the IoW.

I've never seen one. Not in the wild.
As Chris says the grey ones are rats with cute tails.

PasturesNew

Pyxis wrote: »

.... Brownsea Island and on the IoW.

Two places I'll never go.

Theoretically, Brownsea should be achievable... IoW is WAY too expensive for one person to get over there and actually "make a day of it"... couldn't afford to take the car, so you're stuck as a foot passenger.... so can't go far on the other side.

As for Brownsea... there are three costs:
1/ get to where the boat leaves.
2/ buy a boat ticket, return.
3/ pay a NT entry fee.

It all adds up ... for something that I can't actually see "the benefit" of. Having reached it, all you can do is "shuffle round and look at things" - well, you can "shuffle round and look at things" for free/cheaper by not getting on the boat

Driving, it's possible to park for free a lot of the time (side/residential roads off the ferry queue approach road). So dismiss cost of travel.

Ferry: £7 from Sandbanks (£11.50 from Poole).

NT Entry: £7.20 (bugg4h gift aid, where you pay £8)