The Italian Intruder

Last night my husband and I had two unwanted extras in our bedroom. I know Italy is a country full of pasion and love, but before you start exclaiming 'mamma mia, what is going on there ?' let me explain.

See, in Australia we have very advanced technology called...wait for it....the humble fly screen. This wonderful invention is cheap, effective and until now has been very much taken for granted by me.

After changing hotels four nights ago, we go to bed knowing our two unwanted guests, the Italian mosquito's, will serenade us with Italian buzzing to the tune of Dean Martin's 'that's amore'.

Like anyone, I hate mosquito's and usually am the first to get bitten. While I calmly swat the damn zanzara, husband is convinced we have a plague in the house and proceeds to turn on every light in each bedroom at 3am. After I kill the offending mosquito's he promptly falls back asleep and I am left to lie wide awake listening to Florence traffic zoom past our window. (Where do people go at 3am?)

I finally fell asleep thinking that mosquito's were the least of our worries. Not long ago I was living in outback Karratha with a gecko in my shower, flying cockroaches in my back yard and I even had a poisonous snake under my desk at work.

After our pest control activity last night, I assured husband that I would not let one ray of Tuscan sun enter our room thereby eliminating any chance of even one nasty intruder getting in.

Happily I left for my daily tea and book reading session at a cafe. When I returned the housekeeper was cleaning our room and putting fresh orchids in our vase. My smile froze as I looked around - every single window was open and she was happily humming away an Italian song...but her humming sounded like buzzing to my ears.

I predict another long night ahead.