Thanks to their subject matter, some paintings sell irrespective of medium, size, style or even quality; George Best portraits are doing very well at the moment. A rat composition has a lot of ground to make up and no matter how well executed will rarely appear above a mantelpiece. The subject in the 'rat sketch' was gratefully accepting benevolent handouts, bread never meant for his kind, oblivious to the repulsion and loathing of the young duck feeders lining the bank of the pond. I have poisoned, trapped, shot, despised and feared rats, but I have to say I admired this character, bold as brass swimming along on a cold January morning gathering up the scraps of wholemeal bread. Brian Plummer author of classic books including 'Tales of a Rat Hunting Man' and 'Rogues and Running Dogs' relates how when driving his girlfriend home late one night, his car broke down opposite a maggot factory, such establishments are never well signposted; to the envy of his friends and disgust of his companion he managed to secure the rat hunting rights to the factory. Unlike Plummer I have never gone in search of rats, they seem quite capable of finding me. Perhaps I am becoming more observant or else the rat population is steadily increasing; turning over the compost heap, cleaning out the hen house, driving along the road, rats appear. Preferring to live close to human habitations, rats are the easiest and least welcome of all our mammals to spot, identify and exaggerate about; many apparently are as big as cats. Apart from larger-than-life sizes rats are also credited with amazing feats of strength, agility and courage; in truth rats can do many the things people say they can and all of the things people say they can't, stealing bread from the ducks is low down in their repertoire.