you, I did once, years ago, do a little picture of Margaret Thatcher – bless her – a tiny little miniature. Then I pasted it onto a matchbox. Domenica looked puzzled. Oh? Angus smiled. Yes. Then I stood the matchbox outside a mouse hole. The mouse had been bothering me – he had gnawed away at some canvas I had. So I used it as a mouse-scarer. It was more humane than a mouse-trap, you see. The mouse came out and saw this picture of Margaret Thatcher staring at him and he ran straight back into the hole. It was very effective.
In the book "The Unbearable Lightness of Scones" by Alexander McCall Smith, a humorous anecdote is shared about an imaginative tactic to deter a bothersome mouse. The narrator recalls a time when they drew a small picture of Margaret Thatcher, which they then affixed to a matchbox. This creative solution served as a harmless way to scare off the mouse that had been damaging their belongings.
The protagonist's clever method highlights their quirky personality and the effectiveness of such a simple idea. Instead of resorting to conventional traps, using the image of a well-known figure proved surprisingly successful; the mouse was evidently frightened enough by the sight to retreat into its hole. This amusing incident showcases a blend of creativity and humanity in dealing with a pest problem.
