Over the years, my attic has been the scene of many unwelcome visitors.  Wasps, mice, sparrows.  The latest invader?  Maggots.

Thankfully, I have been able to repel each of these intruders, but their very frequency has got me thinking that perhaps I should be reframing the problem?

In the past, I have considered each of these uninvited interlopers to be the issue.  But perhaps that is not the case?  Maybe it is my attic, itself, which is the problem?  After all, it is my attic, which is the common entity in all these irritating incursions.  Wasps, mice, sparrows: I have no difficulty with them in other environments; don’t feel the necessity to exterminate them in their own natural habitat.  It is only when they enter my attic that I get unduly disgruntled.

It starts me thinking.  Is there anything I would actually like in my attic?  I mean, I like dolphins.  But, I wouldn’t want one in my attic.  And I’d like an E-type Jaguar.  But, if I found one in my attic it would only present a logistical difficulty.  And I am quite partial to Fondant French Fancies, but my attic would be the last place I would hope to encounter one.

So, what do I do about my problematic attic?  I can’t simply get rid of it.  It is an integral part of the house.  And I can’t bury my head in the sand and ignore it, otherwise God knows what number of unsavoury critters will exploit the resulting vacuum and invade it. 

It’s enough to give anyone toys in the attic.

© Simon Turner-Tree

Simon Turner-Tree approaches his attic with trepidation.