Well, that was spring folks

I'm grumpy.

Kids driving me round the bend again?

Well, yes. But that's not why I'm crabby.

It was stinking bloody hot today. The car was hot. My legs and arms are covered in bites from being out in the garden for five minutes pushing Luca on the swing, and what's more, Luca wants to keep a fly as a pet.

Yep, the flies are out and I managed to squash one of the little blighters (or so I thought). But before I could get rid of it, Luca had spotted there was life in it yet and helped it onto a sheet of kitchen paper.

It didn't matter how many times I told him not to play with it. He was ignoring me.

(Truth is, Kian was watching him and so it meant I had a few minutes' peace while I made their dinner, so I turned away and pretended I didn't know what he was doing.)

Then I hear: Look Mummy, he's crawling!

And a bit louder: He's crawling, look!

For once Luca, I can't share in your love for all things creepy crawly. I will happily watch you dig for earthworms and play with them. I respect that you love all the garden snails and that you don't mind their frothy trails on your arms and chest as they crawl all over you. 

I'll even let you bring home those technicoloured beetles we often find at the beach. But I'm drawing the line today. You have managed to bring back to life a yucky fly that I chased around the house for several minutes trying to swat. 

So I say nothing.

I think he needs something to eat.

Great. 

I'd like to keep him, Mummy.

It turns out he wasn't that attached to it, so I win.

I still feel irritable. I'm already missing spring and all its softness. Summer means there will be others like that fly waiting for me to leave the flyscreen open just that little too long.

And now it looks like they have a friend to help them.

Vanessa

P.S. I am secretly glad that Luca doesn't share my irrational phobia of bugs (seriously, what am I doing in Australia???). So I've done the right thing, found out about a fab website called the Bug Shop (part of Butterfly Skye's butterfly release and insect education) and ordered a butterfly chrysalis kit. Can't wait. Let's see if I'm brave enough to see the life cycle of a stick insect in my home.

Skye Blackburn's Bug Shop