Unwanted guests

St Matthieu
Yesterday's weather: Still basking in the sun.

We share our house and land with all sorts of creatures. You may have already met the deer in an earlier post. We watched two young ones, this years' babies we think, practicing their rutting skills yesterday evening. They met head to head and then, unsure what to do next, they frolicked like a couple of little lambs, stopped, looked at each other as if to say (in Tellytubby voices, please)

'Again! Again!'

There are the red squirrels who are feasting on the walnuts as I write this. Only one of the walnut trees has nuts of a good size, that is their favourite, of course. Dozens of birds of various types.

Inside the house apart from us and the cats of course are things I don't like. Spiders of all shapes and sizes, and a ghastly looking creature (can't load the picture for you so the squeamish are let off for today)!

He is a house centipede and I can't stand the creatures. They can be as big as about 3 - 4 inches long (including all the hairy bits) and are usually seen at night rushing around the walls as soon as they realise they have been spotted. They look like a small broom! There is usually one in the bedroom, although Jon found three the other night when I complained about just one. They feed on spiders, flies and other nasty house creatures so I know I should love them really, but am terrified in case one wanders over my face in the night - very unlikely, I am told.

I don't know of any way to deter them. I wonder if they are, perhaps, repelled by lavender or something else I like - if anyone out there knows, do tell please!