Fly Away

We have been gone for six days and in that short time Karratha’s fly population has quadrupled. Take a picnic lunch down onto the beach, go for a walk, or wander around the town and there are flies buzzing all around you. They fly up your nostrils, in your ears, under your sunglasses and in your eyes; they land on your lips, your back, your head, your arms. They are everywhere. From where they have all suddenly appeared, I don’t know, but we are having to adapt. We are quickly perfecting the Australian wave, a sort of slightly more aggressive version of the Queen’s wave, as we try in vain to bat them away. In the end, exhausted from our fly-swatting efforts, we let the majority settle on us, only batting away the ones that try to enter us through our ears, nose and mouth. There’s no point getting angry, frustrated or upset, no point in swearing at them, shouting or getting yourself in a tizzy (Husband, take note). The flies are here to stay and we had better get used to them.

I think the beach is going to be the place to be in the summer. The cool breeze coming off the Indian Ocean tempers the searing heat of the sun, the water is a beautifully refreshing temperature and the flies don’t like either so, down at the water’s edge, they are relatively fly-free. Luckily, there are many beaches to choose from and, with the tourists having all gone back down south to escape the heat, they have never been emptier. We took The In-Laws to five of them and they gradually got used to the heat. They suffered to begin with but by the fifth beach they were even able to spend a few hours out in the sun – quite a feat considering they stayed in the shade and were ready to leave pretty soon after lunch at the first one. The Father-In –Law got used to the flies pretty quickly too, letting them rest on the top of his cap and on his back in droves. Perhaps he has found a new calling as a fly whisperer - that would certainly be a very profitable business in Australia!