Giant Centipedes, toothpaste and 4x4s

(Andy)
The RMS arrived this month with all our stuff on it, birthday pressies from last month, the rest of our clothes, toys and cricket kit, plus loads of food, too much in fact, I'm sure we won't get through it all in 2 years.  But toothpaste.........it wasn't until we opened up the toiletries, that we discovered just how much toothpaste Lucy bought back in the UK - I've actually lost count, but it's definitely in double figures! (Smiley Face).  If we'd have known that you can buy pretty much everything you'd need out here, we wouldn't have brought half the stuff.

It was when putting away the mountains of food, that I felt a prickly sensation between my toes, a bit like standing on a dried thistle, so, without looking down, I simply tried to shake off the offending vegetation, only to discover that I couldn't shake it off.....so I looked down....to see a 4inch long yellow and black giant centipede attached to my toe.

Now, I like to think of myself as a bit of a nature lover, for example, rather that kill spiders, I prefer to "relocate" them, far away from Lucy and the boys, however, at this point my survival instinct took over, and using a 3kg bag of value pasta* - not my weapon of choice, but the item of food in my hand that I was in the process of filing under "will probably never get through before we leave" - bludgeoned the endangered, endemic beastie to within an inch of his life.  (note: I consider him to be male, as my sense of guilt would be greater should I think of such aggression towards a female).

My toe hurt a little, a bit like a stinging nettle sting for a couple of hours, and even now, two weeks on, although it doesn't hurt, I've still got two unhealed puncture wounds!  Anyway, for all you animal lovers out there, I didn't kill it, it was just stunned, as would you be, if you were attacked by pasta, and I released him back into the wild......where he waits........under a rock.......for his revenge.........

Our Land Rover Freelander arrived at the same time, in a container surrounded by Lucy's toothpaste.  It was good to get back in a 4X4, and once MOTed, taxed and insured took it down some off road tracks, of which there are plenty, and the baby Landie performed admirably.  In fact, not content with one 4X4, we have since bought a Pick-Up Truck (as you do), a 2005 Nissan Navara, with lots of bling on it, which will arrive on the RMS in December. I'm told that when we leave in 2015, there will be plenty of people wanting to buy it from us, in fact 3 different Saints, when asked what car to import, all, independently said a "Navara".  Lawrence is just looking forward to sitting in the back with his hair blowing in the wind, tongue out, like a dog.

Whilst unloading our container at the Wharf, I was witnessed carrying my cricket bag by a man called Patrick, and he interrogated me as to how good I was and what was my cricketing speciality, my fairly honest answer of "well I'm not really much good at Cricket anymore" must have been interpreted as an act of humility, and subsequently a week later, I received a phone call inviting me to play for St Matthew's Lions cricket club, it turns out Patrick is the club captain.  Apparently, they are all really competitive, so I am currently preparing my apology for how I managed to get out for my second "Diamond Duck" of the year.

Discovered a new flavour of crisps too..... photo below says it all...

My assailant captured by a whisky tumbler



South African, I think....a little concerned as to which gland from the Monkey is used to flavour them!

*Tescos Small Pasta Twists, for those of you, who feel the need for specific details.