Giant oven and mossy slayers

The giant oven works really well, Mary cooked a chicken, joint of pork and bread and it cooked them all beautifully.the wasps were not too happy though they had made a nest in the roof of the oven and when it got hot, had to make a quick exit,they were still looking to get back in the roof the next day. We have cleared the area now for the swimming pool to be constructed and it is due to be started in the next few days, the sooner the better as it is extremely hot now and a dip would be most welcome. relocating the 2 meter satellite dish was essential as it was in the middle of the garden so Joaquin and i built a tower on the end of the buildings and installed it on top of that.
As always in the the country there are loads of insects and many mosquitos so last night we plugged the electric mosquito slayers in under the gazebo.
sparks really flew, we could not believe the amount they annihallated over night, the sooner we get rid of the mosquito population the better.

A Koala and an Echidna

We have been here over a week now and we have not seen any Kangaroos, but i take Rascal - Emma and Warwicks dog, for a walk most days and looking up in the trees along the Andersons creek road there was a Koala sleeping in the fork of a tree trunk, no more than 20 yards away, i have been along there twice since and its has moved branches but is still in the same tree, Emma has not seen one in Andersons creek for around three years, - then yesterday we went for drive into the lower area of the Dandenong Ranges and while driving along the forest track an Echidna (spiny anteater) was strolling across the road, these too are rare animals to see as they are nocturnal and very timid. Females produce one or two eggs, which are deposited in a rudimentary marsupial pouch. The newly hatched young remain in the pouch, feeding on a milky fluid, until their spines begin to grow.
The weather is very warm here at the moment - in the high 30s, yesterday afternoon it clouded up a bit and there was thunder around,there are also lots of mosquitos once the heat of the day has gone, you need to wear insect repellent if you are outdoors.

A Plague on you

It’s as we thought the heavy rain has enticed a new wave of visitors to the area. Some businesses have been making a few quid out of this but the saluds have also been extra busy in their wake. No not lager louts, I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies! The visitors are flying in in droves though and Easyjet is not to blame, after all mosquitoes, which are the visitors I am referring to, come with their own sets of wings in addition to the bits that do the damage. And it seems the female of the species is more deadly than the male. Female mosquitoes, unlike males, have a proboscis. This is a long thin needle-like built-in syringe located at the mouth. They use this to stab their victims, so that the mosquito’s abdomens fill with blood. Certain proteins in the blood are needed to produce fertile eggs. As males cannot produce eggs they have no need for blood. Females require a new blood 'meal' for every nest they lay, and produce about 250 eggs per meal. Female mosquitoes live anywhere from one to several weeks depending on the species and the environment. Some females can survive the winter to lay eggs in the spring, before dying. Males generally live 4-5 days, and die after mating. When a mosquito bites it injects a small amount of saliva that thins the blood so it doesn't coagulate in the narrow channel of the proboscis. When it's done feeding, some of this saliva remains in the wound. This causes an immune system response and itching. A welt forms, known as a wheal, and the body goes to work breaking down the proteins from the saliva. The bite will continue to itch until the body has broken down all of the proteins.
It’s a myth that only the female mosquito makes a buzzing sound. The buzzing sound you hear is from the beating of the wings. Both female and male wings make a buzzing sound. Most people don't hear the male mosquito because it doesn't bite.
all very interesting don't you think' All I know is I am being driven mad by itching wheals or welts or what ever you choose to call them. Over 200 hundred people have had treatment for allergic reaction Torrivieja, Guardamar and San Miguel are worst hit but it’s none to good where we are. Whose making money out of this you may well wonder. Well anyone who sells insect repellent, anti mosquito coils and sprays not to mention pills and potions if the little buzzers do get you.

No Mosquitos - but flies

I cant believe it, I can sit out at night with a light on, walk around outside with no anti mosy protection and all through the year i have absolutely no problem with Mosquitos. i have visited many destinations in the summer and the mosquito has always been a big problem, but it seems that this microclimate does not suit them. The only insects that are a problem are the daytime flies, there are not a lot of them, but one always seems to decide to antagonise me continually untill i chase it in an attempt to KILL, then with its superior intelligence it hides untill i resume what i was doing, then it comes back again, if i do manage to kill it another takes over where the last one left off, -- Back shortly i´m just going for the kill...........