Cockroaches and sharks!!

They say you haven't really lived in Sydney unless you can kill a cockroach with your bare hands. Now I don't know if I qualify here since I haven't exactly done it with my bare hands.  I have fortunately always managed to grab my slipper or a book or a tissue, but boy, have I killed cockroaches!

We don't have masses of them but now and again on a quiet evening when you are sitting minding your own business writing on the computer, you can feel a presence. The trick is to pretend you haven't noticed but quietly, almost without moving, or even breathing,  grab something, and then pounce. Of course we also have spray cans around the place but the killing with your bare hands (or shoes or books) is so much more satisfying. Here is a link to Australia's different types of cockroaches.

Continuing in the same vein I'll just have to tell you about one of our first nights here in this house. Our furniture had not yet arrived so we slept on the floor. So one morning I wake up, open my eyes and I see this.

Back in Europe I would not have reacted because I am really not at all afraid of spiders but before coming here it was one of the things I had read about, how Australia has the most dangerous snakes and spiders in the world, not forgetting the sharks and the crocodiles, so I got pretty nervous before we could get rid of it.  Still, one spider is pretty tame compared to the present welcoming committee in wet Wagga Wagga.



That brings me to my last little snippet for today. In two weeks time there will be a swimming competition called  Cronulla Shark Island Swim. One of the girls in my painting class is doing it. I think I will pass, since the name of the race says it all. I think it was two years ago when there were two sharks spotted during the race. One was swimming directly under the swimmers apparently. But as one swimmer said: "He had 700 to chose from so I felt pretty safe", or something to that effect. Here is the link if you fancy entering the race or maybe only see some photos from it.