We have had a visit from “the little gentleman in the black velvet waistcoat”.

It is a mole, who has set up home in our garden. As nature lovers we feel a bit differently to many gardeners, we have no need to go to war with the mole because our lawn is more of a wild embankment than a bowling green so there should be space for both of us. We even hope he or she will be giving the compacted soil a good churn.

But we would like to protect the borders and encourage him a bit further away from the house. So its online we go, looking for “mole deterrent” on the web.

Number one seems to be get a pet, and maybe its no coincidence that mole moved in shortly after the departure of our old dog, but we are not ready for another pet yet.

Apparently, moles don’t like soil vibration, so the next suggestion is to spike a few children’s rotating windmills into the ground. Windmills? Not the sort of thing we have just lying around…….

But, but but……

I’ll just be a short while in the bike shed.

Shimano hub, Mavic rim, Giant fork, duct tape.

Given that one of the hottest topics in the new green economy is industrial recycling I may be on to something here. Or it is a mad new hobby for future retirement plans? I certainly have the accumulated bits to keep myself going for a while. H’mm, perhaps I could rig one up to a dynamo next?

Sceptical voice from the distance says “you mean you really do have a use for all that junk you have been carrying around with us for the last 30 years?”

This one could run and run.

(And I will add a new chapter to one my favourite blog posts from the past – now I am “Windmill building”)