Singing mice, brocolli, ugh

Mice, according to a report in the National Geographic, are one of four mammals, which serenade their mates with a song. The others are humans, bats and whales. Because mouse songs are delivered at ultrasonic frequencies, no one( apart from other mice) seems so far to have noticed them.

I stand in the vegetable garden and look at the purple sprouting brocolli, which should produce purple heads in the Spring. It is protected by netting from marauding pigeons, which abound and have in the past stripped every leaf and sprout before I can go to the rescue.

Igittigit is a german expression of disgust, which has become part of my vocabulary on account of Heidi's frequent use of it - when the weather is foul, for example, or in response to a sticky mess on the floor. One German dictionary has it in its more usual form igitte. Another doesn't mention the word. I suppose you would translate it as ugh. But the german word strikes me as more effective, and pleasantly mild sounding.