Plantation Life Nov 2020
Plantation life is everything and much more than we expected. I for one have had to learn not to scream at the top of my lungs every time I see, hear, or imagine something scurrying, rustling, flying, or jumping past me. For a self confessed screamer, let me tell you, it’s been a challenge, but I seem to have got on top of my screaming hebie-jeebies, if not quite conquered them.
As I’m writing this, one such incident springs to mind. We hadn’t lived here long and were just sitting down to watch a little evening TV, when out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw movement.
“Something just moved!” I said to my other half.
He looked up from his iPad and gave me one of his, “not again,” looks and carried on scrolling.
I could have been mistaken, I was a little jumpy.
Turning back to the TV and trying to put thoughts of creepy crawly things out of my mind, the phone rang and I almost jumped out of my skin.
“Hi mum, how are things going?”
It was our daughter checking in to see if we were ok.
“I’ve got some good news mum….”
Just as she was telling me her good news, the smallest of rodents ran across the floor towards the TV stand. I’m sure my scream could have been heard on the next island! Richard almost dropped his iPad, and our daughter was beside herself wondering what she’d said to make me react in such a way.
“A mouse! a mouse! I yelled”
Jen said she’d call back later and hung up. Richard said that I was hallucinating after I’d insisted that we move all of the lounge furniture, (thankfully we live a minimalistic life these days). Finding nothing but dust, I thought he might be right.
“I’m going to get a shower!” my now sweating husband said.
So, I sat back, and tried to turn my attention back to the TV.
The cheeky mouse must have run back out of the house the way it had come in when it heard me scream. We had a half inch gap under the front door that was definitely going to be a job for Richard to sort out tomorrow! As these thoughts were running through my head, the mouse made another appearance. Again I screamed, and Richard came running out of the bathroom. The mouse was scurrying down the hall, it seemed to notice Richard and turned and ran into a fold in the hall rug. Quick as a flash Richard rolled the rug into a ball, opened the front door and flung the mouse and rug out onto a sleeping Lola. (The plantation guard dog).
“Did Lola see the mouse?” I asked my naked, shocked husband.
“I’ve no idea, I wasn’t going to stick around to find out!” he replied as he trotted off to finish his shower.
“You could at least say sorry for not believing me!” I muttered under my breath.
The next morning revealed that Lola had indeed seen the mouse, and to my utter shame, it wasn’t the giant creature that I’d originally though it was! (Please see attached photo).
Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that I’ve started to come to terms with the critters we share the plantation with, and to prove it, this morning I actually went into one of the industrial compounds to take some photos of the platano plants, (bananas to you and me, but never, ever, to a Canarian!) so you can see what it looks like when I put posts up about the plantation.
I don’t know, the things I do for you guys. xx
