Day 9

Rule #10 Remember, roaches are for life, not just for Christmas

I can' walk! The run yesterday has left me so stiff I am hobbling. I think I was a bit exuberant at the start, and paid for it later. I can only conclude yet again that I am not built for running (of course it can?t be that I am just not fit).

Roach update. Latest score J = 2 killed, me = 1 escaped. Ok, I decided to 'man-up' and agreed I would 'meet and greet' the next roach. This time I found one scuttling upstairs. Upstairs - J had a fit. She had convinced herself that they wouldn't come upstairs so the bedroom was safe. I don't know where she got that idea from, but I was happy enough to let her believe it, until reality intruded. She was not happy. I grabbed the roach eliminator spray but by the time I had it the roach had done a runner up the wall, then over the top to the outside, then back again - I think it was panicking. Anyway, I tried to follow it but it was too quick and escaped. My failure was not acceptable to J, her disapproval was palpable - I think I will have to try to make it up to her somehow. But it is weird how roaches are so abhorrent to us. We like the lizards, and they often scamper up and down the walls of our bedroom - but roaches ..... no way

Torrential rain most of last night, it?s like being in a tent. Less humid today, hopefully the sun will come out

Continuing my rant on sleep disturbance issues, my favourite subject apparantly ...... not only do we have the early dawn light, the manic loud birds, and now the torrential rain - to take the biscuit at 8am this morning we had firecrackers going off right outside our window. Not just a firecracker, but a whole magazine of them, in fact several magazine's worth. It sounded to me like a machine gun and I'm not ashamed to say that for a second I was a little bit frightened - it was really disconcerting. And what did it signal, well ..... the drummers convention has arrived, literally 5 yards from us - deep joy - they go on for most of the night if they repeat last year's performance. Part of the problem is that the singing is not really that good!

The picture is of part of the drummers' convention on their ritual boat trip to bless the sea god