The perfect mug shot.
Just in case the police ever need one…
With the recent hot weather, Europe has been experiencing, comes bugs. Lots and lots of bugs, in the form of ants. Ants which crawl under the front door and take over the house.
Claire discovered this the hard way, when she got up on Saturday morning, to see the floor at the foot of the stairs and inside our front room, crawling with black ants.
I was still in bed at the time, but I heard the scream, followed by the use of some blue language.
Luckily, the spider spray, which had served me so well, in my old flat over a decade ago, had not been banned under health and safety laws, and is still being manufactured. In fact, we still had some of the original can left, which I had once used in battle with many a house spider.
Claire used what poison was left in the can on the ants, as well as sucking the wretched creatures up the pipe of our Dyson.
I am sorry if this barbaric-sounding act offends Ricky Gervais and other pro-animal rights activists, but Claire and I had no choice.
Besides which, they’re ants. I like the concept of ‘every life is equal’, but is it really? Is a single ant as important as a snow leopard? Would people mourn a dead wasp in the same they would a beautiful African elephant?
I understand that snow leopards and elephants are endangered species, but surely you get my point? I blame the movie Honey I Shrunk The Kids. I was a tad too young at the time to see this in the cinema, instead made do with receiving a copy on VHS, as a generous birthday present, from a school friend.
In the film, a group of children, find themselves shrunk (sorry if I just revealed a spoiler). They end up in the garden and befriend an ant. The ant is later murdered in a brutal manner – in my opinion, far too strong for the U age-rating the movie carries; but because it is Disney, there’s no way it can possibly a PG. If you think I’m being sceptical, think about Mufasa’s death in The Lion King – also U.
Anyway, the ant’s demise is all apparently very sad and resulted in grown adults crying in the cinema. Crying in public… over an ant. Mind you, this was the 1980s – I’d cry too, if I was of an age to realise what Maggie Thatcher was up to.
The point I am trying to make (badly), is killing some creatures, like ants, when absolutely necessary, is not as bad as killing a white rhino… I think.
I would be generally interested to hear what these super animal lovers would do, should they discover an army of ants taking over their living room.
Claire and I are vegetarian and are extremely anti-hunting, as well as pro animal-welfare; so how to deal with not-so-nice creepy crawlies poses something of a moral dilemma for me. I know some people ask “what would Jesus do?”, when making important life decisions. When it comes to dealing with any future ant or spider infestations, perhaps I should ponder “what would Ricky do?”. Looking at the comedian’s Twitter feed, I can well imagine that he would tweet about it, before calling a random troll a ‘C U Next Tuesday’.
By the time I made it downstairs, the crisis was over and all the ants were gone.
It was important we avoided a repeat of the ant drama this morning – especially with Claire going to work, leaving Roman and I home alone. If I was of no help in dealing with the ants yesterday, Roman would be even less use, had I required him to come to my aid!
Therefore, before bed last night, Claire used bug spray on the gap by the front door and electricity meter cupboard – where we assume the ants came from.
What we had made was, in effect, a wall of toxic poison – something I am sure Donald Trump would love to build around the Mexico border. Maybe or maybe not with the toxic poison.
Trump has said he will make Mexico pay for his wall to be built. I don’t think I will be able to charge her majesty, The Queen Ant for a new can of Raid insect killer, but would imagine I stand as good a chance as old Don has of getting a penny out of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (the president of Mexico).
What awaited Claire, upon going downstairs this morning, was a different kind of horror. Instead of lots of scurrying ants, was lots of dead ants… and spiders, and woodlice.
Claire described the devastation to me, by shouting up the stairs, as I was still in bed – be aware, this was at 6am! It sounded like a scene taken straight out of the recent TV series, Chernobyl
The good news is that we have no more ants. The bad news, my wife and I are wanted by The Court of Ants and Beetles, for the use of nuclear weapons.
I was watching Blue Planet this afternoon.
It’s awful what people will throw away into the ocean.
Take, for example, this Leeds United football sock. A nice design, but potentially deadly to marine life.
Actually, it’s not a sock. It is, in fact, a real-life creature, known as a Sea Slug.
This is the first time that I have seen one with these colours, but I am not ashamed to admit, that I think the design would make a rather fetching away shirt for Leeds next season.
This is the current temperature in the bedroom. I think I’m in for a long night. I’d have more chance of sleep next to the main stage at Glastonbury Festival, after drinking four massive cans of that awful looking Monster drink.
I’m not going to be the only one suffering tonight. Claire and Roman are also sweltering – although, at least our rabbit has enjoyed ice today.
Right now, he’s not surrendering his ice to anyone!
They say you cannot sell ice to eskimos*, but I am sure if they had pockets to carry money, rabbits would buy some on a hot day.
* sorry – that word isn’t very PC at all. Don’t worry, I’m not going all Farage on you, so you can put the milkshake down. I, of course, mean “inuits”.