Still Scorchio

I really need a book on bugs. I have been amazed at the variety of ants... from teeny tiny ones that decided to drown themselves in the cats water to some huge ones - that looked as if they could carry the cats off! The cats have great fun hunting mothzillas at night and crunching their way through the various mantis type bugs that appear every now and then. And I found this dead locust type thing in the patio the other morning. ... picture posted at last

Now what I want to know is - what is that stinger is for? and don't say popping eyeballs!

The latest worry is huge spiders. I am normally OK with spiders and given that they eat flies (the enemy of my enemy is my friend) I usually let them live and build their webs.... but I know that there are some in Morocco that can give us (and presumably the cats) a serious problem if they bite. Which ones? There are some scarily big ones and I am ashamed to say I am resorting to stomping on them - assuming I can catch them.

ps I have now had my first close encounter with a live scorpion.... late the other night just back from Taroudannt I walked across the patio into the kitchen, came out of the kitchen and there it was in the middle of the patio! One shout of "Mohamed Scorpion!" and he came running and stomped it. So in response to the request for more pictures of the bugs.... yes as long as they don't come running at me when I have the camera on them! I just edited a bit here in case I never get any visitors.... :)

Well it is getting really hard going with the heat ... we have been sleeping out on the patio for over a week now but it is still really hot at night. The poor cats are all under the bed panting... sadly it is too small a space for me to join them as it probably is the coolest place just now. But not for long.... after spending a fair bit of time at the weekend in Marjane because it is cool we decided to buy an air conditioner. Unfortunately so did everyone else in Agadir. It took us all day yesterday to find one and now we are on the hunt for a technician to fit it.