Friday 17 April 2009

What Heather Would Do

On her blog Simply Heather a day or so ago, Heather posted 37 Random Questions and My Answers. One of these was: '32. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than...be forced to eat many things.' Well I have my doubts frankly. I assume that we are talking about food here and not something from a Japanese reality TV show (not that I've ever seen one but I have heard about them!).

Now I shall digress for a second or two. I live in the country surrounded by orchards, trees, fields, and insect life of all sorts. Many of the insects feel that they have the right to share my space. I regret to say that, although I don't have a problem with many of them I resist their attempts by having The Cottage sprayed. So those that do enter tend to have short lives. One of the most persistent creatures is the Gisborne Cockroach or Gizzy as we know them. I have seen less appealing creatures. However I would definitely not wish to lick one!

And here is the coincidence to which I referred when I commented on Heather's posting. I haven't seen one for several weeks but as I was writing it I saw under the settee (couch) one of those very creatures. Fortunately it was upside down which is a fairly good indication of its state of health. In this case dead.

So here, for your delictation is a picture I took earlier (several years ago in fact):

Gisborne Cockroach (Drymaplaneta semivitta - family Blattidae)

8 comments:

  1. Faced with a cockroach and a plate of mussels...

    I think I'd still pick the cockroach, as long as it didn't wiggle!

    WV: cyclic! A real word! Like 'cyclic hemiacetal'!

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  2. Give me mussels every time - so long as they didn't wiggle! I once had a colleague with whom I would lunch. She ate snails. She didn't like snails. She loved the garlic butter sauce they came in. Very strange.

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  3. Whether I would rather lick Gizzy than eat a snail or mussels would rather depend upon where Gizzy had been! On the whole I think I'd settle for licking Gizzy...

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  4. I so agree. Cockroaches, brrrr, I despise them. I can't see any purpose for them at all. I remember in my younger (much) days I took a partime job at Mangere Airport at night in the kitchen. Well I only lasted one night. I opened a cupboard and found the largest cockroach I have ever seen. It was over 2 inches long. Apparently they stowaway from the islands. I didn't need the money that badly, LOL

    Margaret

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  5. :o)...rather cute, belly up...don't you think? I'm just kidding.

    My first answer to that question wasn't so Lady like...so, I changed it (originally, it was poop). I know...yucky but I would rather lick the belly of a cockroach than eat that (for sure). Wouldn't you?

    Oh, and just a little more information for you about where I live...Vermont is known as the "Green Mountain State". FULL of mountains, hills and valleys...very bumpy windy roads, ups and downs with curves all around. - And...in Autumn, the mountains are FULL of oranges, reds, yellows, golds, browns, coppers - in all shades. I love VT.

    Now, I know I must share more photos of my surroundings with you :o).

    ♥ to you today, GB.
    ~Heather

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  6. I don't blame you Margaret. None of the native cockroaches are, so far as I am aware, pests and tend to live in wood and tree bark.

    The Gizzy was originally from Western Oz and is a timber dweller too. It can't fly.

    The Giant Cockroach doesn't survive in the wild in NZ because it's not hot enough. 30 to 40 of them can eat a hamburger in an hour!

    The fastest running insect in the world is thought to be the American Cockroach from tropical America and in NZ usually only found in hot places like hospitals and bakeries.

    I've no idea what your roach would have been but I'm sure that I wouldn't have liked it either.

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  7. I shall find out more about Vermont, Heather. It sounds wonderful. I'm looking forward to more pics on your blog.

    OK so I'd rather lick a Gizzy than eat poop but then I was rather assuming that poop didn't form part of the average diet of anyone likely to read our blogs! Mind you if one eats liver or kidneys then..... For the record I love liver and onions but can take or leave kidneys and they would have to be in a pie or suchlike.

    What on earth made you say that in the first place anyway????

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  8. I am really laughing right now, GB :o). I can't tell you what made me say that...it was the first thought that popped into my mind (maybe from having the multitudes of little men in my house..or the dog...??).

    I'm sure if you were able to spend time with me throughout my average day, I'd keep you laughing. I can be a bit nutty in the normal :o).

    I tend to write with feeling - I tend to live with a smile - I tend to laugh...at myself :o)

    ~ always with a bit of ♥
    Heather

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