This is the view from our bedroom window, beautiful, peaceful and very inspirational. The scenery is very similar to Southern California, which is one of the reasons we chose to live here after visiting California on a few occasions and knowing that it was too far and flights too expensive to pack up sticks and move there.
The mountains are beautiful my grandchildren call them 'Grandma's mountains' and always choose a mountain for themselves. The mountains change colour depending on the season-sometimes dark and gloomy sometimes amber and gold , bright red and silver with hints of green shivering in the warm breeze as the sun shines down on them.-To me the mountains reflect my mood and are constantly a source of inspiration.
As you can see summer has started and the land is very dry, insects are coming out of hibernation, and flies and mosquito's are rampant. Before moving to Spain I must admit I took flies for granted but here in Spain they drive you to a point of lunacy-we are forever swatting them and it becomes a sense of achievement if you swat two at a time. Awful things!
In the early days of moving here we were so in awe of the peace, warmth of the country that we would sit outside admiring the views, and watching star constellations, all doors open window with no mosquito frames on them-no shoes on, completely ignorant to the insect inhabitants wanting to share our space.
In fact we were so ignorant that one night laid in bed I felt something move, slowly crawling over me, too scared ton move I woke hubby up who quickly dismissed my female fears saying that it was my imagination and 'go back to sleep' two seconds later it struck biting me on the boob! I screamed hubby soon woke up then-hearing a scuttle on the headboard he soon changed his mind on the fears of the female species-
'are you ok hun?'
'No I bloody well aren't bloody thing has bitten me!'
Hubby tried to hide to hide the vicious culprit from me- scurrying off to the bathroom with the creature tightly secured in a tee shirt.
'Bloody Hell' I heard his say, not a good sign I thought as I began to feel feverish as my left boob began to turn red and itchy. I would not have minded so much if it had bitten both boobs-a bit of a boob job perhaps visions of Jordan springing to mind.
Meanwhile hubby was in the bathroom trying to dispose of what had now become the nocturnal 'monster' which as you can see from this picture (Not the exact same but the same nevertheless)
I later found out that the offender is known as 'The Tiger centipede' not a pretty thing move faster than Tiger Woods and a swinging golf club, and are extremely nasty. This centipede is found throughout Southern Spain and is one of the largest in Europe and can grow up to 150mm in length (ugh) According to the 'net' its markings change depending on its location (in my case duvet colour.) Normally they are yellow/amber colour with black stripes-which is why they are referred to as a tiger.
The little darlings are nocturnal, and like damp places, (or hot bodies) they can give a nasty bite which can be extremely painful although not lethal unless you are allergic to the venom (A thing you would not know unless you are in fact bitten by one) Medical assistance is advised.In my case I did not, but I can tell you that the sting is similar to a burn, painful and left a mark as the thing clawed its way into my boob. The day after I felt feverish as if I had just had an injection of some kind. The boob swelled up a little not enough to recommend it as an alternative boob-job. Interestingly the bite showed up on a mammogram a few years later and was initially of some concern, but that was soon dismissed.
Another incident involving hubby, he was in the bathroom having a shave when he saw something move on the floor. On closer inspection he found it was a scorpion-just like this one.So the moral of the story is when living in Spain is to remember that it's in the Mediterranean, and that we share the space with other creatures who although not always pleasant have the right to live here, so always shake your shoes before you put them on you don't know just what might have crawled in there. When gardening wear socks-making sure the ankles are covered (very Victorian) Fly free your windows. Always wear shoes or slippers indoors, and buy yourself some 'Maton' a spray that is supposed (I say the word lightly) to protect you from insects, as once they cross the threshold-they will be no longer. This spray is reported to last one year, but personally it lasts me about a month as I am taking no prisoners! so once bitten not a chance of twice, I blast it all over the house.
Spain is beautiful as long as you are aware-next time its Spiders so all arachnophobia-read something else!-It won't be pretty.
