A STING IN THE TAIL

I found this chap, or maybe it's a she, in the bathtub this morning. After I blinded it with the flash, Himself captured it in a glass and put it outside. It's the first that has dropped in this year. The interesting thing is that they only ever appear in the bath tub and the tub is located in a part of the house where they lived when the place was a roofless ruin. I guess their descendants still hang out in the same area.

These little scorpions have a bad rap, the same as Dobermans. (I see a few Doberman hairs in the tub, now that I think about it.) Just the sight of one and people suck in their breath and shudder. Yes, ok, they sting but it's about the same as a wasp sting and it isn't poisonous. On top of that, they are very afraid of us, as well they should be. People kill them on sight and curiously, often sit upon them. I've seen more than one dead scorpion stuck to somebody's backside, usually visitors to the country. Himself and I look at each other owlishly and say nothing.

This one is full grown, about the size of my little finger. I can see from the photograph that he was looking up at me. I'm sorry he wasn't one of the brown ones because I could have got a better photograph. I have trouble with black.

The big scorpions, found in deserts, are another matter. They're dangerous. The scorpion happens to be my sign in the Zodiac. Now, who was it said I only do pretty pictures?