WHAT is THAT SMELL???

We woke one morning this week to a VERY BAD smell. A truly foul, toe-curling, put-you-off-your-food, stomach turning odour! With our hounds-tooth hats and magnifying glasses we set off in search. Something had to be done, and quickly. Heading along the hallway, it became apparent the aroma was oozing from the spare bedroom where Harry and Till sleep most of the time (their own bedrooms reserved purely for ornamental purposes!). On investigation of the room, and relieved it wasn't our children rotting overnight, our noses led us to the en-suite bathroom...where the smell was unbearable!!!!! After sniffing profusely over every inch of this tiny room, we couldn't pin the smell down. We wondered if it was in the wall cavity....or perhaps it was floating up through the drain? I wondered if the toilet was leaking? Frustrated and appalled we shut the door tight and went off to work,  praying the smell wouldn't permeate the entire house.

A day later with the smell growing stronger we tried every trick in the book to deal with it; bleach down the drain, candles burning, vinegar and bi-carb splashed liberally. Even with two doors closed between us and the smell, it still drifted down the hallway torturing us. At what point was this going to end???? Were we going to have to move out?

Finally today, with time on our side, Ben decided to explore under the house. His theory being that Mr Rat (or Mr DEAD Rat should I say) was wholly responsible for stinking out our normally fresh smelling abode. Ben suited up in old clothes, including "hair protection" and a "breathing apparatus" and courageously headed for the door/gate that leads to the foundations of our house; a filthy spider infested place where you'd never find me in a million years.  Thank goodness for brave husbands I say! After crawling under the house armed with torch and plastic bag, he bravely shuffled into the tiny space between the ground below and the floor above. With groans of disgust and grunts of contortion, Ben did come upon that feral rotting smell as expected, half decaying and maggot infested of course. All the while I stood in the safe distance of the door throwing words of encouragement and asking for updates on the situation! That was helpful of me don't you think?

Armed and ready....Ben goes under the house!

Ha - FOUND YOU, Mr Rat!

Can you guess what's in the bag?

So now the smell has been "dealt with" and the aroma restored to rights. And just in the nick of time as we have some friends from Oz arriving on Monday to stay with us a week. We were starting to despair as to where we were going to sleep them!!!!!!