Does the rat want one sugar with his coffee or ten?

I came inside after feeding the chooks and taking this picture of the many webs on display in the slight glimmer of sun poking through the heavy fog that is now slowly lifting.  Bloody spiders.  I know you're not meant to discriminate but I'm not a fan.  And whilst I'm sure they work hard on the aphid elimination program for my sad looking roses, they really do take liberties.  They extend webs from rose to rose, across branches, paths, gateways and probably highways as well.  Nothing worse than walking through one on dusk.  Queue the mad woman shake and shudder dance.  At this time of year the critters are about during the times that we are.  Possum as he's known, is a permanent member of the household.  He's been a resident here long before we moved in so we figure it's his place too.  He's a big bushy tail and is clearly an old feller who's enjoyed the greater things in life.  If you are in the bathroom when he jumps from the rain water tank to the roof you'd swear a man was about to fall through the ceiling.  We hear him at night in the roof doing the oddest of things. The list of things that go bump in the night here is extensive but at certain times of the year possum can be heard to be undertaking what sounds like some serious renovations in our rafters.  Hammering, moving large fragments of wood...was that a power tool I heard?  Nothing like a DIY possum.

When I came back in after feeding the chooks I fired up the coffee machine and stood by waiting for the little milk frothing light to tell me it's done.  But above the whirring of the Nespresso machine was a scratching in the wall behind the fridge.  Max looks, Bennie growls and then they lose interest.  It can't be Possum, he works night shift.  Most likely at this time of year it's a mouse or a rat.  Bennie has been trying to get his nose under the chooks pen for the last few weeks so I know they are around.  They come out at this time every year.  Fortunately we have two cats in the house...I said, FORTUNATELY WE HAVE TWO CATS IN THE HOUSE THAT CAN...oh, fine keep sleeping.  I'll just have my coffee with the rat.