Rural night skies are bigger. Stars shine brighter, and the Milky Way smoodge spills across the sky. Friday evening we sat outdoors at a rural pub enjoying a pint and parma under the coloured lights. The table and chairs were rickety constructions which could have graced a backyard of my youth. We’d stepped a quarter…

Weird scratching sounds. Moonlight beams through the window. Dog food kibbles hitting the floor. Squeaks of excitement. Yes, mice had broken into the house and were partying in the dry goods storage area. Turns out they were cleaning up dog food which had fallen under the shelving. And the rodent celebration had awoken me in…