In which the vole traverses a CTC (Vole #4)

So here's the story so far.

On Friday morning (Dec 11th) at around 5.30 am the BadgerCam first sees the vole waltzing around our kitchen. Clare moves furniture, mops floors and leaves doors open - we hope it has escaped.

Saturday morning at 4 am the revitalised BadgerCam catches the vole again, brazen as ever. We dig out the trap-refuge and bait it.

Saturday night at 10.33 pm the trap has worked! We video the vole and it is released outside the house. I set up the BadgerCam once again, expecting nothing but languid cat pictures.

Sunday morning at 5.05 am, the camera shows the (selfsame?) vole skating around the kitchen again, followed an hour later by the cat taking an early morning stroll.

What???

So last night (Sunday) the trap-refuge was baited again with delicious bread-and-butter, and scraps of date. The camera was again set.

This morning? One video of the cat checking out its reflection in the cat-flap cover at 6 am, no skating vole, the vole-trap empty and untouched.

What???

Our best scientific theory suggests that the vole executed a 'closed timelike curve' in our kitchen at around 5.30 am Sunday morning, shortly after being videoed for the last time. It was then whisked backwards in time to 10.30 Saturday night, at which point it entered the vole-trap and was duly captured, videoed and released outside.

If this theory is correct, the vole-trap tonight will catch nothing, and the camera tomorrow (Tuesday) morning will show no more than the preening cat. And I'll be on the phone to CERN.

More to come ... .

Update: Tuesday morning Dec 15th. Just watched Maj. Tim Peake blasting into space .. oh yes, the vole. Nothing at all, no clips, on the BadgerCam this morning. A quiet night then. Looked behind the tumble dryer, its presumed 'nest' - no droppings. We're going to declare the kitchen vole-free.