Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Mouse mazurka and caterpiller cavort

We live as they say, at the sign of the ups-and-downs. Yesterday's entertainment was the new vacuum cleaner (we had to buy a new one as you're not allowed to bring old one over) deciding to have a little fire unto itself. When taking it back involves getting it back to K-mart in Lonnie, and the ferry situation is as entertaining as ever (what was this about waiting until your ship comes in. Be patient. We live on that happening here) and Doctor Sonya telling me I need to watch cholesterol in my diet (I conclude in my paranoid, persecution-befuddled and byzantine way that she must town shares in a brocolli seed production unit, and is therefore out to recommend that the entire island eats a certain lumpy green veggie - _without cheese_ .) A little research on CSIRO site shows I am less high Cholesterol than 50% of Australians, but I figure I'll eat more whole grains (and brocolli). And drink more red wine and eat more tomatoes, and have gout instead. And do more excercise - which is awkward because I am very behind in my writing schedule.

This morning however I got my extra excercise with a lovely new dance called the mouse mazurka - which involves a mouse on the screen door and a lot of leaping and kicking. Try it, you will love it, and it's very good for the heart and calorie count. The mouse fled outside, laughing fit to bust, little bastard.

Then B went nervously in to town to do her drivers with Policeman Pat - I still have to do mine. Anyway, she passed - which is kind of right because she's a good driver and has been driving for more than 30 years - but logic doesn't always work with these things. You don't do a lot of parallel parking in real life in rural Africa. Anyway, she also brought me a letter from the the bank saying that the Save the Dragon's money was safely in the account - a relief because we've borrowed from peter to pay paul with the dogs and cats.

And that, right now, is that. Ups and downs... oh well, Barbs has developed an alternative to the mouse mazurka, called the caterpillar cavort, which could be a big hit if we can find a reliable supply of caterpillars to drop down dieter's necks. I didn't squish it but just put it out for the skink. A place with lizards that must weigh 2 pounds and walk like sumo wrestlers probably has tiny caterpillars that are poisonous or do kung fu.

And now to my 16th century Black Sea naval battle... I think I need to write about something closer at hand!

6 comments:

  1. ...probably has tiny caterpillars that are poisonous or do kung fu.

    See how quickly you adapt to life in Australia!

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  2. Watch out for the brightly colored, hairy caterpillars.
    I know from experience those aren't lethal, but they certainly raise a good solid welt.

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  3. Right now, I want to know about the big hairy black spiders? They seem to like coming indoors, do they bite? They do not seem to be aggresive, but I want them to stay out of the bedroom,and not wander in for a snack during the night!

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  4. Want to take a photo Barb of the visitor and post it on the blog? There are a lot of spiders in Australia.

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  5. Ah...sounds like you've met the huntsman, Barbs. They can sometimes put on an agressive show - rearing up on back legs - but it's a pretty rare thing for one to bite. Really a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I think I've only ever heard of one or two people being bitten. They do come in pairs, though...and they love bedrooms. You usually only see one at a time, but if you dispose of one, the other will soon turn up...in your bedroom! If you can bear the thought of knowing there's one somewhere in the room (I can't) I'm sure they eat quite a few other small visitors - and they aren't as messy as geckos!

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  6. Huntsmen are harmless - and they eat the nasty spiders. Further north (Queensland) unless someone's spidey-phobic they don't usually bother getting rid of hunstmen. Fewer problems with midges, mozzies and redbacks that way.

    You do want to find out from the locals if you ever get funnel-webs around Flinders. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_funnel-web_spider). THOSE are nasty - there's a good reason the Sydney Funnel-Web is the model for Shelob in the Lord of the Rings movies.

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