Hey Now, Let's Not Get Ahead of Ourselves

I was listening to BBC Radio 4 earlier. I love Radio 4. I have it on in the background most days, and I tell you, it sure does cover the whole spectrum of topics, both interesting and deathly boring. For instance, one day I listened to an almost one hour discussion on pork crackling. Yes, you read that right. Almost ONE hour describing, detailing, debating and tasting pork crackling. Disgusting. Today they had their weekly or perhaps bi-weekly "Gardeners' Question Time." I wasn't really paying attention but I did hear one woman asking about how to stop rats getting into her compost pile, as last winter the rats ate (!) two (!) of her chickens! Now that is an image I have no desire to see. Can you imagine little rats and their rat teeth attacking chickens? And the sound the chickens must have made? The horror. Anyway, the woman was saying she heard mint will stop the rats from coming in, and she wanted to ask about that...and she sort of trailed off..."because winter is coming and I want to be able to stop the rats."

Wait WHAT? Woman, it's May! MAY. Yes, Britain had an unseasonably warm April, in fact one of the warmest on record. But she should not confuse that with SUMMER, meaning it's now autumn and winter will be starting next month. I thought that was very British to think that May signals the imminent approach of winter, although since summer here is entirely unpredictable and usually non-existent, then maybe she is on to something. I don't want to make any generalizations or anything, but the British are notoriously finicky about weather. If it's not too hot, it's too cold. If there hasn't been enough rain, there was too much snow. If it's May, it's winter. I can just imagine the woman:

        "Oh dear, it's May. Winter will be here so soon. I better get to work on my compost pile. I do not want to lose two more chickens this year. Ohhh, how much time do I have? I better find out about this mint solution. If I put it down now that should stop the rats by the time June rolls around."

Ah, BBC Radio 4, I can always count on you to entertain me. If I'm not learning about the history of serving pork crackling in pubs, then I am learning that mint should stop rats from coming into my compost pile and killing my chickens. And why her chickens were gallivanting around her compost pile she did not say. But at least now they should be safe when winter comes in four weeks.