Beetle-based blog
Big black beetles in Spain, long-legged, seem harmless, fascinate the cat. He tips them over and watches with interest as they struggle to get back on their feet. Then tips them over again. Cats.This morning I rescued one on the terrace which was waving its legs a bit feebly - flipped it over with the edge of the fly swatter, then sat watching it while I had coffee and a cig (because my life is filled with extreme living-on-the-edge excitement) and you know what? Not the cat at all. When I went out with my second coffee it had tried to climb the doorsill, fallen on its back again, and this time the legs aren’t even waving.
I can identify, a bit. I’ve played a lot of polocrosse, which is a high-speed impact sport (there’s a video on my profile, if you don’t know what polocrosse is - great soundtrack) and often woke the next morning aching in every joint. With so many horses around, feet often got stepped on and that hurts, those beasties are heavy.
So my left foot feeling well crushed, and generally aching from head to foot, is very familiar, but there are no horses around, and although I’ve had an old polocrosse buddy visiting for a week and we walked a lot more than I normally would dream of doing, there’s no reason to feel so knackered and, and, whisper it, old.
Except - we were buying tickets for the hop-on hop-off bus in Granada and the bright-eyed teenage ticket seller asked if we were over 65. That’s half price. Without missing a beat we both nodded.
Payback.
Comments (39)
A sedentary life makes us both feel and act older than we are though.
I believe that desk-based jobs, or being a couch-potato in front of a TV probably is a greater killer than drinking and smoking. It just does it slower.
I don't want to be a black beetle and just give up, I was a bit cross with it. Wanted to tell it to try again, never stop, never give up. Was I lying on my back waving my legs feebly in the air, I wanted to ask? But it wouldn't have listened.
And by the way, finally, FINALLY, got to have those churros and chocolate, at a pavement cafe just off the beach at Almunecar, and yup, worth the wait.
Okay, you feel like a pregnant pig afterwards, but some things are just worth it
I'm not even particularly keen on beetles, I just felt obscurely guilty that my cat had ruined its day
BTW my buddy was blown away by my command of Spanglish, we never had to actually hunt for an English-speaker once. Getting better!
Congrats on your improved Spanglish
Deal?
Question. Why are these always so blardy hard?!?
These beauties have to be consumed hot, as soon as they come out from the wok!
Sorry Biff, this blog has turned to a churros blog
Well I have changed from couch potato to bed potato, now I enjoy watching TV in my bedroom.. Someone told me I need to change something in my life so I did, couch to bed.
Croatia won. I don't think the UK could have handled the final against France without WW3 breaking out so just as well
Jeez, I really should get to know the characters on here
Biffy those beetles are cool, I always bring them home and let the cats eat them.
As for the bread, I have to disagree with Map here, yes those little flat roll things could be used to tile doorsteps and there is good reason so many Spanish are missing teeth but soft bread is available. On the other hand you then have to go to all the bother of toasting it. So ... you got served the halfway option