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Another fairly warm day today up here. While nowhere near as hot as it has been of late (it's dropped 10ºC since Monday), it remains oppressively humid - at least it does inside this 160 year-old house that I live in (hot in summer, cold in winter!). As I am presently in dispute with those who apparently employ me, I decided to take a day off today, which I spent trying to keep cool. That is more than can be said for Linda this morning when a pigeon managed to find it's way into our bedroom. Linda started screaming, which sent Mizzie diving for cover under the bed and sent the pigeon headlong into the window. Liam came racing through from his room to see what all the noise was about and, on seeing the panicking pigeon, and his panicking Mum, promptly jumped under the covers, kicking me out of bed in the process. Between screams I was instructed to "do something" about the unwelcome guest while wife and son fled into the relative safety of Liam's bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them as they went. It was down to myself and Mizzie. The pigeon had settled on top of the chest of drawers - slightly calmer now that the screamers had left. I looked at Mizzie, who was still cowering under the bed, but who nonetheless would not take her eyes off of the intruder. She glanced at me briefly as she crept further under the bed. I was on my own. I wracked my brain trying to think of how to deal with this situation. I opened the blinds and felt a rush of air on my face as the pigeon flew past me and straight out the window and freedom. Once it was gone, Mizzie came bounding out from under the bed and up onto the windowsill and sat with a self-satisfied look on her face. "Is it gone?" the other two asked through two closed doors and a hallway. "I think I can hear buzzing in my bedroom chimney", shouted Liam... (PS. Liam said thanks for all the birthday greetings.)

I was in dispute with my employers last year too... and for the same reason!