Welcome to my eighth year of blogging. I hope you're all enjoying the new year so far.
Our new year started with being woken by fleas in our bed.
Apparently fleas like a quiet house. I've had two tales told to me by members of each side of my family (old and new) of going away and coming back to a house so full of fleas that [tale 1] their feet were black with fleas as if wearing ankle socks and [tale 2] they had to sleep on a shelf of a wardrobe with the door closed to escape them. Apparently vibrations keep them (fleas, not both sides of my family) from wantonly breeding, but that sounds a bit suspect to me. Probably more to do with the lack of attention.
Anyhoo, we woke up resolved to do something about it. Going to Woollies at opening time on New Year's Day is now my favorite time to shop... so quiet! And all the people who are there are clutching their heads slightly. Almost as good as Best Beloved's mother who apparently went shopping while the whole world was watching the moon landing. Again, I'm a bit skeptical of that tale. Who was serving her?
We pulled the bed apart and cleared all the floors of the carpeted end of the house, kicked the cats outside, and set off some flea bombs. This, of course, meant that we had to go out for a few hours into the killing heat, so we went to the movies.
We saw The King's Speech. It was in Dendy's largest cinema, and there were no spare seats. The audience was vocally appreciative, laughing and cheering and at the end clapping. I think it's not only that the movie is excellent, with wonderful acting and a spiffing script; it does more to generate a sense of pride in being Australian than any Australian film could. I can't speak for any other audience member, but I related to Lionel's egalitarian spirit, his larrikin (sp?) streak, and his cheekiness. Colin Firth was his usual loveliness, especially when he swore. Sigh.
We came home feeling karmically unbalanced, having unleashed noxious gases upon hundreds of little bodies. But a solid vacuum and a bedding change later (plus a good cold shower), we feel much, much better.
Good enough to keep packing & cleaning tomorrow.
Photos are off, luv. I did lose my camera. Yes, I know that my iPhone has one, but it hasn't got a flash or macro. I'm officially in Object Mourning.
10 comments:
Also took refuge in airconditioned cinema but could not persuade Tormentor to see King's Speech, so it was Meet the Parents Part 97 instead.
It really wasn't very good - cliched thin jokes, and pretty crude - which makes Julie Rigg's chortling endorsement on RN all the more puzzling.
Have been told Karmic Wheel does not include fleas, cockroaches and Halliburton executives. You may kill with impunity.
Yay, absolution. Tanks.
Hi, I'm randomly exploring. I noticed you were a blog of note on my birthday. Cool. Happy New Year... :)
hi Duck, sorry about your fleas. i too have been similarly infested (not me personally) and had very small children at the time so didn't want to use a bomb so was told (by an old 'hippy'friend) about sprinkling the carpets and floors with huge amounts of salt and spreading lots of mint around. i must confess to embarrassingly resorting to this very politically correct remedy and alas i have to say it did work. so if they persist and you don't want to bomb again you will need approximately a dozen large saxa salt containers, a bucketful of mint, and a mindset harking back to the 70's.
ps - i think your karma is slightly less darkened by salting fleas rather than chemically mutating them, but i can't be sure.
pss - have a happy new year.
psss - do i need to tell you my only resolution for 2011 is to avoid political correctness at all costs.
Congrats. I think I only made it to five years of blogging.
Happy New Year... :)
I apologise when I kill spiders by accident but fleas? nah, it's me or them. Really sorry to hear you lost your camera, how long do you have to wear black for Object Mourning?
According to (vet) husband, flea larvae live in carpets etc, then pupate. The pupae are stimulated to hatch into adults when they feel vibrations, especially after a time of quiet. That's why there seems to be a serious infestation on return from holidays. It's often recommended to wear gumboots and vacuum as soon as you return. This reduces the numbers. Regular vacuuming should alleviate the need for bombing which should be avoided.
yay duck! 7 years...is it really that long? I oughta write a post or two.
I'm hoping to see The King's Speech soon (my sister is coming to town tomorrow, so maybe some free childcare;-)
May the dawning of this New Year, fill your heart with new hopes, open up new horizons and bring for you promises of brighter tomorrows. May you have a great New Year.Keep your work going ........
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