Pop Goes the Weasel, Monkey, Gecko......

Life continues much as ever in the wildlife departemnt. The monkeys are back, complete with babies clinging onto underbellies for dear life as their mums steal our rambutan from the tree. That reminds me, I must buy firecrackers to scare them off.

Yesterday I was making toast and the fuse box tripped. I flicked it back on, put the toast in again, and it happened again. It did this three times. On the third occasion as I returned to the toaster, a rather dazed looking gecko popped its head over the top of the toaster and crawled out from inside it. It then stayed motionless on the side of the toaster, despite me tapping near it to try to get it to move. It had obviously had an electric shock. Or three in fact. Maybe being such rubbery cretaures it was partially insulated. It stayed there, despite me then toasting the bread, with its feet getting very warm, clinging as they were to the side of the toaster. Eventually it seemed to recover and moved, slowly, off. I hope that has taught it to move home.....

On another day, having left home in a hurry, and not returning till 3.30pm, I drew the curtains, which hadn't been done earlier before we left. As I did so something rodenty shot out from beneath the curtain, past my (bare) feet and started frantically trying to climb up the French window. After my initial coronary arrest, I noticed a bushy tail and realised with relief it was a cane squirrel, not a rat. They are quite rat like though. How they keep getting in, we have no idea. It's the element of surprise which always gets me though.

Speaking of which, the following morning I drew the curtains downstairs (again) and felt that, now familiar, spongy plop, as something rubbery landed on the back of my hand. A gecko. They always seem to lose their grip when I'm about...

And as for the cockroach, well I had suspected this for a time, but last night confirmed that indeed our toothbrushes probably are the only source of food in our bathroom, with a nice minty aroma on them. A cockroach was crawling over all 4 of our brushes (brush end) So yet another sealed plastic container needed to keep them in. I wish someone hadn't told me cockroaches like to spend time in the sewers.........

And then there's the weather. It' s not just the English who discuss the weather ad nauseam. This is a favourite topic as it gets hotter, and hotter.........and more and more humid. One's tone becomes more desperate and disbelieving. Surely it can't get any hotter?? Frayed tempers are getting ever more ragged round the edges. Mine in particular. Someone said it's also the barometric pressure, which makes one aggressive (now there;'s a good excuse....). I don't know about that, but maybe that's why my head hurts sometimes.......

M comes home and says "Boy, it's hot in this house" He usually lasts about half an hour while he has his supper, then disappears off to the bedroom to read with the A/C on. And he doesn't get home till 9 p.m! I can never resist pointing out, in martyr-ish fashion, that indeed it IS hot in our house, and I am in it all day EVERY day!! Unlike his office, where the air con is set so low that one (English) guy brings a sweater with him. Even M wears long sleeves. I dream of that kind of cold...

I am more acclimatised. I still sweat with the best of them, and find it very humid, but am certainly more used to it, whereas M doesn't get a chance to get used to it because he is in air conditioning all day. Poor thing.........