Seraphim's Journal of Muses

.....then it's probably within 50 meters of me right now.

I suppose most of you know that hubby and I aren't terribly rich. We don't live in the greatest area of town, (though it's not really a bad area, just a cheaper one.), and coupling our building's lack of maintainence with the climate here means that it is a breeding ground for almost anything.

I'd never seen a cockroach before I came to live in Cyprus. Really. I don't even know if we have them in Wales, maybe it's too wet or cold or somesuch. I had also only ever seen a flea once in my life. Our ants were normal sized, and the mosquito's we had from the river outside of my old house rarely if ever bit me.

Here, it is a totally different story. I permanently look as if I have measles or chicken pox on my feet, they get bitten so much. I have itchy mosquito bites in places I didn't even know existed. And I had to convince my cat just after I moved in that proudly bringing me the cockroaches she killed outside the (at that point) empty apartment downstairs would win her no scout badges at all.

Now I feel that I am fored to keep my cats indoors all the time because they'll get fleas from the wildcats, or the other cats or dogs in the building. Or sandfleas from the scrubland down the hill a little. I don't like it. Freja likes to go outside sometimes, though mostly she -wants- to be an indoor cat. I just feel mean forcing her to stay inside, but I just don't want fleas in my apartment. (Does anyone know a good, natural flea deterrent that I can leave around the house, which wont harm the kittens?)

Also on the island, we have to cope with snakes. I haven't seen any near the apartment but I am sure there are some in the scrubland, though of course over the winter I haven't seen any. We have two types of snakes here and I don't know their english-language names. I know one is long and black, like an industrial garden hose. And one is small and greeny brown. I know the green ones are very poisonous, deadly to animals and children. But also, the big black ones are supposed to be lucky, as they're harmless and actually eat the poisonous ones.

Next we have lizards. I like these, they're cute, harmless, and quietly eat all the mosquitoes, sand flies, fleas, etc. We have hundreds of gecko's here. The bushes rustle with them, and they're always basking in the sun on the rocks or sand. Nice lizards. (Though they scared the hell out of the son of a friend of mine. He was only 5 years old, tried to play with one, and accidentally pulled it's tail off. He cried for ages, convinced he'd killed it. She couldn't get through to him that the gecko's can loose their tails if their threatened, so that they can run away!)

Anyway. I have deviated from my initial point quite a bit. I started this post after being kept awake all night by a mosquito snacking on my shoulders, and avoiding capture or illimination. And I decided to finish it after a small sparrow came and sat on my table when I was out for lunch with my mother earlier. For those who don't know, birds are my worst fear. I shrieked, dropped my food and embarrased all around me. Oh well.

Long babble, now ceasing.

Take care all, and watch out for creepy crawling things if you come to Cyprus!!