Grasshoppers Galore

Monday 13 June 2011 - I knew today wouldn’t go well when I stubbed my toe for the third time, on the same chair. How the danger of toe injury increases when you’re in a climate that promotes barefoot traffic. I get a call from back home, my other half has had a crash on the way into work, he say’s he’s fine but the car is a mess. Thankfully no one else is involved.

Terence Trent Darby sings Do You Love Me Like You Say?  What happened to him, didn’t he go a bit potty? There’s a commotion in the lane, I look outside to see a tractor with what looks like a giant vertical lawn-mower attached. It moves slowly trimming the undergrowth on both sides of the lane. A man walks behind it with a fork unsuccessfully removing any debris left in its wake. They decimate the flowering cacti that only days before I photographed, it seems such a waste, they don’t pose a risk to passing traffic. Giuseppina is walking up the lane, surprisingly it’s 29 degrees and she’s wearing a cardigan. I show her the mess left behind and she shrugs and says, “It’s only leaves, the wind will clear them.” It’ll take time for my attitude to change from British to Italian, before then I’ll get a brush and sweep them up.

Before:

After:

I seem to be attracting grasshoppers of every variety just lately, there was an odd looking one on the mosquito screen in our kitchen, and now as I’m about to turn in for the night there’s one in the bathroom. I evict the unwanted guest, and switch off the iPod mid song. Toyah is singing, I Explode. (Sorry Ms Willcox, the explosion will have to go on hold until tomorrow).