U.K. man builds elaborate mouse village in his garden to make his dad with dementia smile
"I know lots of people consider them as pests but they bring me so much joy."

The mouse village houses two mice families in Gez Robinson's garden.
Most people think of mice as pests, but for one family in the United Kingdom, they are tiny little neighbors with their own tiny village.
Photographer Gez Robinson noticed a mouse in his garden one day in 2020. "I thought, 'that's interesting,'" he told The Dodo. "I showed my dad who's got dementia and I would see how much it would make him smile. It was absolutely heartwarming, so I was inspired to do something special for the mice."
Robinson started to build the critters small homes, which soon blossomed into an entire village complete with cottages, houses and even the "Frog & Mouse Pub." Two mice families live in the village—the Brambles family near the blackberry bushes and the Honeysuckle family in the log pile by the honeysuckle tree. "Never the two shall meet," Robinson said, "because when they do, it's world war."
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"I know lots of people consider them as pests but they bring me so much joy," he said.
Robinson's father, now 87, loves the mouse village and spent as much time enjoying the furry friends' adventures as possible until his Alzeimer's and vascular dementia progressed too far for him to visit the garden. He now lives in a full-time care facility, but Robinson shows him videos of the village when he visits. He says they make his father smile.
Robinson shares photos of the mice in various "day in the life" situations that make them almost appear human. The photos also highlight how tiny these little guys are. Look at this mouse compared to the blackberries in his little shopping cart.
Robinson shares videos of the mice families going about their day and enjoying the treats he leaves for them, and his narration is delightful. He explains who's doing what and gives them their own little stories. "That's absolutely magical," he says. Magical indeed.
He's even used the mice to predict the outcome of football matches, adding yet another layer of fun to his magical little garden. His laugh is so endearing.
People can't get enough of the mouse village, as evidenced by the comments.
"When I die I want to come back and live in your garden as a wee mouse xxxx"
"Protect this lovely man at all costs!!!"
"THIS…..made me smile. If it brought his father joy, I can see how he’s connected to them."
"It is a natural to want to care for animals. This man is demonstrating true kindness. I don’t understand why some animals are viewed as ‘vermin’, others as companions and others as food. It is all just a human construct and cognitive dissonance. We are all the same in all the ways that matter and animals deserve our compassion and be allowed to like their lives freely 💚"
"It’s better than a Disney movie. 🥰"
"You gotta be careful doing stuff like this cause because you're gonna make me do stuff like this."
"I love him and the little mice 🥹🩷 watching this brought me so much joy 🤩"
Some people expressed concern that the mice could be carrying or spreading disease. The U.K. government does warn that both pet and wild rodents can carry viruses and bacteria that humans will want to avoid, but Robinson doesn't appear to be doing anything that would go against the recommendations for how to avoid them. He simply set up props where the mice already lived and observes them as they interact with them. (Naturally, he should be careful and engage in proper hygiene, but simply having mice in your yard is a pretty common occurrence and not likely cause for alarm.)
Sometimes the humblest of creatures can bring out the greatest of joys. Thank you, Gez Robinson, for sharing these delights with us all.
You can follow Gez Robinson on Instagram for more.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."