Letter from Manila - Santol - of course!

If he's been feeding on the moths in there, no wonder he's so big!

On Golden Orbs, apparently we do. Fortunately, not on the roof!

Actually it seems we have a good spread of poisonous things, including spitting cobras, with which I have a policy of strict avoidance.

I hope to have more definite news on the contract later this week.

The good thing (for me, not necessarily the Philippines) is that it's Japanese funded so a) the money is there and b) my heroes, the Department of Transport, only play a minor supporting role and so can be safely ignored. 😊

Actually that looks about the right size, and your attitude is to be applauded. But one thing I've learned here, is not to pick anything up until your on first name terms with a good toxicologist!

Remember we have black widows and all sorts of other stuff out to do you harm. 😃

I remember Tania coming to tell me she'd found a scorpion in the bathroom. Somewhat concerned, I went to look. It was actually a centipede, but the red ones here pack a nasty punch. Until it's stood on of course.

I believe Darwin called it Survival of the One With the Biggest Feet.

Spiders I can live with, it's the cockroaches I can't stand. They may be good mothers and all that, but they just have to DIE!

You can get some stuff called Baygon here, I've no idea what's in it, probably all those things banned in the West long ago, but I swear it'd stop a Panzer in its tracks. Damn fine stuff, unless you're a cockroach!

Aaaand, in the typical way of this world, I now have to make a choice. I've been in correspondence with the Asian Development Bank over a job down in Mindanao (although much of the work would be done remotely from here) and last night I received an e-mail containing a formal offer letter. Wouldn't you just know it? Like buses, two come together!

It's not a bad payer and the work's easy, but it's fairly short term consisting of around 40 days over a 12 month period. I have five days to respond, so I'll just hang fire a day or two and see where the other one is going. Five years full time would just about see me through to being able to pack up altogether, should I wish to do so, and having that option has a certain appeal.

I've considered it, but reckon it'll be too complex trying to fit inevitable travel to Mindanao with full time here as well. If both were "part time" then yes, I could back to back them, but this isn't the case.

Never mind, financially it's not a biggie and I'd rather direct 100% of my effort to the big one than get distracted by something else. Life has a habit of doing that for me anyway, without me encouraging it!

Yeah, I noticed an empty cockroach nearby, so we've gone for a division of labour. He gets everything upstairs and I kill 'em all downstairs!


Thanks, it's a relief and kind of a nice place to be right now.

And now you have 3? (hopefully not 1)

Hi, I can see it all now,

'Mrs B's favourite son George starts rescue centre for poorly pets, dogs a speciality, cats not so much'

Colin

Well, she's still with us. Found the easiest way to persuade her out from under the car was to start it!

My main concern has been food. Not mine, I concocted a rather splendidly hot pasta dish last night, but hers. Fresh chicken? Nope. Fresh pork? Not as such. Both of the above but cooked? Go away. So I was starting to get a bit worried. She'd eat kitten biscuits (wonder where they came from!) but only very few, but turned her nose up at all else I tried.

I'd thought of letting the meat rot down for a few days so as to be a familiar flavour, but decided that having a bowl full of maggots probably wasn't a great idea.

I can happily report however, that half a tiny can of corned beef mixed with some rice seems to meet with approval and she scoffed the lot. So a little and often now I've found the recipe. 😊 Got some tuna to ring the changes as well.

At least now she's a bit more awake and even, sometimes, wags the stringy thing that, to be kind, we'll call a tail.

Still hasn't met the mad Chinese item yet though!

And on the work front, I'd been asked yesterday to revisit the manning tables over the five years, so spent this morning doing that to give them some wriggle room in negotiations. So still looking positive.

Agree, although apart from S,D & E as above, she seems remarkably okay. I've powdered her and killed a shedload of lice, so another job in progress.

Fortunately, both my others are innoculated against all sorts. After food, it's the hip that worries me but even that seems a bit easier today.

For the first time, as I'm sitting outside, she's limped over to lie next to me.

I'll get some pics up when I'm on the laptop.