Bats
An unexpected aspect of life in the countryside: bats.
We've had a heatwave the last couple days, which has meant leaving the windows wide open at night. The property's bordered by a stream and forest land, prime habitat for bats.
As I sat working in the living room this afternoon I saw what, at first, looked like a bird flying around the entryway. Turns out, bat! It then flew into the sunroom where the cat immediately spotted it. So it turned into a team effort to keep the cat away from the bat and coax the bat out of the house. A wildly exciting 5 minutes!
I'm still boggled that windows in Ireland don't have screens. Between the bugs, spiders, and (apparently) bats it sure would be nice to have a little separation.