It’s horrible isn’t it? They currently sit outside the bird box waiting for the blue tits to come out for food ready to attack them ☹️
Last week a magpie caught a mouse in the garden and tore it to shreds then came back searching for more.
That sounds promising with your pear tree shoot (makes me think of Tilly) & lavender, I would be interested to know how they get on in the coming months. Il plant the mint in a couple of weeks if it starts to root.