Wildlife Update

This one’s just for Peter. Naice came across this banana spider in the kitchen, so I leapt into action, bagged him in one of the dogs’ food storage buckets and took a photo before releasing him near a suitable banana plant. There’s a 20p piece in there just for perspective, although this chap would probably be considered a smallish specimen (but plenty big enough when you find him crawling over your pots and pans). Just don’t ask for any photos of jaguars please Pete...

The other shot I took on the way back from spidey’s photo shoot. The frogs and toads like to gather around the swimming pool of an evening, presumably to catch flies or mate, or sing "half way up the stairs" or something. This wouldn’t be so bad, except that they also like to crap in the pool from time to time, and well, you know, big frogs = big frog turds. So I have to get the pool vacuum out every morning to get rid of it all. Most annoying. Anyway, I noticed this chap was stuck in the pool. To explain, I cleaned the filter today, which means pumping water out of the pool through the filter. If the water drops below a certain level, the frogs, once they’re in the pool (they jump in to avoid the attentions of Ozzie and Kelly), can’t get out again. So I scooped him out, subjected him to a few photos, and left him to it. No doubt he is even now pooing in the pool, the ingrate.

As usual, click to enlarge the photos.

Latest News

“Irreverent, mischievous, fun”, they said about Boris Johnson. I used to think so too, until I read his biography. It would seem, based on this, that in fact “arrogant, cynical, elitist” would be more appropriate epithets. Born into a privileged family, cosseted and pampered through Eton and Oxford, competence far outstripped by ambition, he has spent his life totally isolated from most of the issues the populace confront. In fact I suspect he has about as much in common with your average Londoner as Atilla the Hun. But you have to hand it to him – he acts up wonderfully. Best of luck London.

Meanwhile, back in Amazonas, we are told that it has become common practice for mayors to move around from place to place in order to continue their professional mayoral careers (a euphemism for sustainable white-collar crime). Although in Brazil the basic principle is that you can’t run more than two consecutive terms, there’s a slight loophole. If you move to the next city down the road, you’re eligible to run for mayor there instead. So that’s what they’re all doing. It’s like a mayor-fest, with the same people popping up –now here, now there – time after time; and the record is currently held by Yves Ribeiro, who is up for his fifth consecutive mayorship. Well, if you ask me, just like their London counterparts, the electorate only have themselves to blame.

The biggest domino competition in Amazonas starts today. Hundreds of people will compete for the chance to be one of the 64 teams to go on to the next phase in June and ultimately compete in July for the top prizes: 2 new cars and 2 freezers full of beer. I’m almost tempted to compete myself.

A new Latin American dancing season is upon us, and the dance schools have opened their doors once more to any beginners who fancy their chances on the dance floors of Manaus. Why is this news, you may ask? Well, chiefly because Naice and I have taken the plunge and signed up for a bit of Salsa. After two lessons we can both already move forward, backward and sideways, although regretably not always at the same time. Never mind - with two lessons a week over the next couple of months, we hope we’ll be successfully Salsa-ing through the Amazon summer.