Moving Out

As imminent as my own moving out is, this isn’t about me. This morning I awoke pre 8 o’clock which was far too early considering I drank 2 bottles of wine against my will last night. Regardless, I lay in bed unable to drift back to sleep and slowly got up. This morning something was different, though, after months of silence and consequently a mutual time of ignoring each other, my Mexican jumping beans had stirred. One of them had hatched completely and I was greeted by his little face sitting atop the bean he’d been living in for many months.

Considering how long they’d been silent for, I had assumed they’d not matured successfully and died in their beans. But obviously they’re hardly little critters and three have now squeezed their way out into this blustery grey Bournemouth day we’ve been blessed with.

They couldn’t have timed this much better, really, and I’m sure some people would put it down to some kind of fate or such nonsense, but I just marvel at the coincidence that they have hatched on the last full day I will live in Cranborne. If they had hatched tomorrow I would have been on a train home and missed the action, if it had been yesterday I would have been at university nailing an exam about comedy in Look Back in Anger and why Stevie Smith is anti-poetic.

It’s also fairly incredible that these moths’ eggs were laid over 5,500 miles away in Mexico in the flower of the Sebastiana pavoniana (thanks Wikipedia) tree. So it’s pretty sad for them, really. They’re expecting to wriggle out into near-equatorial temperatures, yet they’re greeted by my large face leering at them and only occasional snippets of blue sky when the wind dictates.

Well, it seems that they’re not too polite or grateful for my hosting as I just looked at one of them (yes, you’re getting up-to-the-minute updates here!) and he seems to be have defected on my windowsill. I’m fairly sure this isn’t a customary system to tell your host of your displeasure regarding your accommodation, but I think it should be adopted. If you find your hotel room is a little dirty or untidy, instead of complaining to reception – which rarely gets anything done – simply smear your faeces on and around the windows. That’ll show them.

Now I’ve got to go and clean the flat as, as I mentioned earlier, I’m moving out. Farewell Cranborne.

Here are a few pictures from the hatching that I thought were quite nice.

Enjoy. (Click for high resolution)