The antique rug.

In a small place like this no escaping the fact that there's only a week to go before the 'big' tournament opens. The golf end of town has been relatively quiet but is once again humming. The hotels full of affluent gentlemen golfers and their long suffering wives. We see a very famous golfer sinking a shot on the 17th. Tourists consider cutting across the golf course, look at the sign and then quickly reconsider. Full marks for whoever dreamt up these warning visuals.

Three years since we came back to Scotland and downsized. Even now the cellar continues to throw off 'surplus' things to be sold.

An old 18th century Ushak rug is rediscovered. It's brought out to the garage where it is cleaned and rolled up ready for the courier to take it to the auctioneers.

The carpet was left on a shelf in the garage for a week waiting to be collected. During this time the cold weather brought the field mice into the relative warmth of the garage. They soon found the rolled up carpet to be an ideal place to make a winter nest. Last night we get an e-mail from the courier who has found a squashed field mouse and a perfectly formed field mouse nest. Large segments of the fringe have been carefully nibbled away together with an area in the centre of the carpet itself.

The cost of repairing the carpet will be more than its value so the courier will drop it back off the next time he's in the area. Shame. It was an interesting old thing.

A rather sad, but lovely, poem lands in the inbox :https://michaeljudge.substack.com/p/nearer

5 stoic quotes :https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/p/5-stoic-quotes-to-help-you-through

What are they ?:https://www.historydefined.net/what-are-the-stone-spheres-of-costa-rica/