The only wildlife I've seen in this house belongs to the insect kingdom, thank God. I'm not sure how the cats would react to a western rat snake, but my money's on violence with associated mayhem.

Our kitchen renovation begins tomorrow, so this afternoon will be dedicated to setting up a tactical operations centre in the basement TV room-cum-library. The six-foot folding table from the garage will go in front of British Empire history, and I guess we just stack it with everything that will fit or can be made to fit on it or under it. To accommodate dishes, one of the dining room cabinets will migrate downstairs; I'm not yet sure how, but we're getting really quite good at moving furniture around this house. Finally, the espresso machine, the microwave and the toaster oven must also find space, as must the dish-drainer. Dishwashing will be done in the laundry room, with a hospital basin for a dishpan and the dish-drainer on top of the dryer.

The refrigerator is moving to the garage, where it will stay. A new fridge will move into the kitchen, and the old one, with its damaged bins that fall out on your toes, will become a beer fridge that also grudgingly accommodates such items as mineral water and foods in the process of marinating. Himself has always wanted a beer fridge.

The outlook for November is messy.