Undoubtedly one of the best things about living in Lymington is its close proximity to both the sea and the New Forest. There is no beach worthy of the name at Lymington, but it does have the sea wall, with part of the Solent Walk running along the top.

Running as it does between the Solent and the old salt pans (now an RSPB sanctuary) it is truly one of my favourite places to go. I can’t help but de-stress when we go for a walk down there, regardless of weather. Good views across to the Island (no-one round here calls it the Isle of Wight) on a clear day and the constant procession of boats add to the feel-good factor for me. If you go down just before dusk the Whitelink ferries take on an almost magical quality as they pass each other brightly lit. In fact although it is perfectly pleasant on a hot summer day, standing on the wall with a stiff south westerly blowing and a storm on the way is something to be experienced. In fact there is one point where you can stand and lean into the wind a la Titanic. Best tried in a constant wind as there is a danger of an early bath if the wind suddenly drops.

There may not be a beach, but there is the Lymington Yacht Haven. It’s not paradise, but if you like boats, it’s a great place to dream. With a yacht brokers right next to the moorings for hundreds of gleaming sail and motor boats, you get to realise how much some people have spent to get their small and not so small bits of marine real estate onto the water. Anyone looking to make a yacht-sized tax write-off, I’m in the market.

It’s been quite a strange autumn in the Forest with some trees showing spectacular colours and others not yet turned. I have some photos I took recently and intend to post them with a bit more info soon. So before I run the risk of an English Tourist Board award for promoting the area, I’ll quit whilst still ahead.

No, I don’t know whether that’s it’s proper name, but the important thing is it works. Pest control guy turned up with a cold so couldn’t smell anything, bit of a problem in his line of work. None the less he still found a mouse which even I could tell was decidedly dead. Probably something to do with the house fly maggots, there’s another infestation waiting to happen!

Having got rid of the reachable offending rodent, we were still faced with another in a decidedly unreachable part of the attic. Cue Rodent Deodorant! With suitable material soaked in this stuff and an unerring aim, RD got to work neutralising the niff. Apparently it doesn’t just mask the smell, it neutralises it and gives off an aroma generously described as flowery. The theory is that is will continue to neutralise the smell until there is no smell left. So far so good.

You know that old saying “You learn something new every day”? Here’s today’s opportunity. The buzz in the rodent control community at the moment is the enormous increase in wood mouse infestations, which is apparently what we had. Another thing to blame on global warming as cold winters stop them breeding. Upside is that there are a lot more raptors about as mice are a handy bite-sized snack. No not the things from Jurassic Park, the birds of prey. Significantly however, they do not follow the mice indoors. Probably for the best, not sure how the cat would cope with that.

Sure, if they’re in a cartoon or running round a wheel in a cage. When they are not cute is when they are in your attic! First thing we knew was when there was this strange scratching sound coming from the ceiling. Cat got quite interested so we thought we should too, so torch in hand into the attic space I went.

Did you know that mice are the enemies of global warming? No? Thought not. Having done the right thing and added extra insulation in the loft it turns out that fibre glass insulation looks like a Barrats home to a mouse. So they chew their way in and create a nice little nest which is of course very cosy due to the expensive ultra-insulation you have paid for just to keep them warm. Good thing about living in a more rural setting is that it’s not hard to get hold of someone who does pest control. We had asked our lawn guy when we needed someone to get rid of wasps, actually we ask him about everything because he always knows someone, so I rung the pest guy up again about mice. His card said he offered a deer management service, but I was pretty sure that wasn’t the problem due to the size of the attic hatch door.

A few trays of green gravel placed strategically about the attic space later we were apparently set and off he went. Then we got the smell. To be honest the cat uses a litter tray so we have got used to the occasional mal odour, but this was in a different league. The plan is that the mice eat the poisonous green gravel, feel poorly and go outside to look for water and die. What they are not supposed to do is die insitu and create a smell. Well this was end of last week and the pest guy assured us that since mice were so small, the smell would soon go. It is therefore a mystery why it is still here and apparently spreading and he is coming round shortly to try and figure out why such a small creature can create such a long-lasting smell. For the sake of our sinuses I hope he finds out.