Roaches, monkeys and other bugs...

An unwanted guest

Bug season has started, but the fellow on the picture is harmless. Nevertheless, it created some chilling fascination when it bumped around on our window the other evening. It sounded like someone was throwing rocks on the window and the light in the room kept it just trying to enter into our cosiness. Half of the window was open but the bug net prevented it from coming further. It was about 10 cm long and the largest beetle in Sweden, the Ekoxe (Lucanus cervus), looks quite ridiculous compared to this monster.

However, this bug is quite loveable compared to the famous #1 pest, the cockroach. I have seen three so far, all of them dead. A week ago Yoram sprayed the floor outside our front door and I don't even want to know what this spray contains, because as far as I know, roaches are almost unkillable... I know that the roach season merely started and I am happy that I am not particularly neurotic when it comes to bugs because it does not matter how clean you keep the house - they will enter anyhow. Especially here, living in a quite old house with lots of ventilation holes everywhere and a very vibrant nature just outside. I know many Swedes that never would be able to get used to this...

Khamenei's favourite puppet wearing his illusionary goggles

Just a few days after the fake presidential election in Iran, I discussed the protests with Yoram and he thought that the riots would end soon and that the mullas would bring their oppressing theocracy back to order in no-time. Now 10 days have passed and there is no signs of surrender from the Iranians and it is all very thrilling to follow. No matter whether Mousavi is much different from Ahmadinejad or not, that is not the point. This is a protest against the regime as a whole and I hope that we are merely watching the beginning of a major change in Iran. There have now been reports that voter turnout exceeded 100% in some 50 cities...