This has got to be one of the strangest winters we have had in a long while.

Nature is all over the place. All indications earlier in the year were pointing to a harsh winter – loads of fruit on the trees and berries on bush – a real bumper crop. Our plum tree was so full this year we just did not know what to do with the fruit and the hawthorn bush down the garden is still plastered in berries (the birds are having a field day at the moment!).

This week, I found daffodils in flower in our local wood and the bluebells are already shooting up, but the most odd thing I saw was yesterday.

I was down in Chichester for the day on a course and during the break, I took a walk around the gardens, only to see the most enormous Bumble Bee going from flower to flower on the Jasmine and Heather! I have never seen one in January, and I do feel a bit sad as I am pretty sure that today’s frost will have killed it.

Of all insects, the Bumble Bee has got to be my favourite and I do look forward to seeing them each year. quite a lot of people are frightened of them but they are pretty harmless – so just leave them alone and they are just fine.

All indications are now pointing towards harsh weather later in the month, especially the number of mice coming into houses at the moment, so I guess winter will hit soon.

If you hear noises in the loft, it most probably is mice and you really need to get them sorted as they do love to chew cables for some reason – the biggest cause of house fires is from chewed cables – so call Rapid Pest Control now so we can sort your mouse in the loft problem.