We’ve got moles and seemingly quite a few. Every day one or two new molehills appear on the lawn. I spot them in the morning from our bedroom window and text the running total to Ed at work in London. Today’s count is 7 which is the most we’ve had at any one time. I have to say I do find the whole thing quite amusing – there’s just something inherently funny about a lovely flat green lawn being messed up by a tiny little mole. But I shouldn’t laugh as it’s our lawn and I’m not the one dealing with it.

So when Ed comes back at the weekend he shovels up the piles of soil and deposits them underneath the yew tree at the side of the drive. According to Ed, if he didn’t shovel up the hills, the grass underneath would die – and he needs to get his hands down into the mole hole to set a trap (the previous owners left a pile of traps for us along with a spade and a wheelbarrow!). The wheelbarrow is certainly seeing some action as mole hill removal has now become part of the weekend routine and the soil is building up into quite a mound. I’m clearly letting the side down as I should at least be shovelling up the hills while Ed’s away but it’s just been so cold…. I know, I need to harden up.

Anyway 3 weeks have gone by and we are now one mole down. Ed thinks that’s probably it for that half of the lawn – so he’s now concentrating his efforts on the other side. I can’t believe that just one mole could create so many hills or that a new mole won’t just move in and take over.  Either way, if more hills appear I’m leaving the mole despatching to him.