1.27am

I awoke suddenly a couple of hours after I had turned in.  I rolled over and looked at my clock on the bedside table.....1.27am.  It was still the middle of the night and nowhere near to my regular 4.30am rising time.
So what had made my body come awake as if ready for combat....I wasn't sure.
I kept still and listened....no unusual sounds or movements.  My daughter's key was not turning in the door after a good night out with her friends, nor was it Brownie jumping up at the side of my bed wanting to go out.
No raindrops, no crazy wind, no dripping faucets....nothing at all.
Then that still inner voice (the one that always puts me on the right path and keeps me out of trouble) piped up loud and clear....."It's time to check outside for the bok choy munchers!"
That's what it was, before bed, I had more or less programmed my body to awake later in the night to check for the critters, and it had complied.
There is nothing like wandering around outside your house at night while you seek out potential dangers....so thrilling.
Brownie was at my side, he was more than happy to go on a night patrol.

I armed myself with my combat gear for the task.

Old honey bottle filled with salt and my bright 7 LED bulb torch.

I was ready.

By the time I reached my veggie garden bed, I had a terrible feeling....a warranted feeling too, since when I shone the torch on the bed, I saw that I only had 11 kale plants left.

See that poor little decimated stalk?

There it is on the bottom right.


Then I swore I heard munching...chomp....chomp....chomp....

Turning the beam of the torch over to the bok choy area, I saw two huge slugs on the ground near my one and only horehound plant.

Need I say more?
Those two critters are dead under that salted mess ....I made sure of that....no last rites were said.
They had already had their last meal.