Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

It’s a long weekend, and my brain has been meandering…

Isn’t it amazing how many creatures we share our space with?

I think sometimes we forget that we’re part of the animal kingdom and, like all other species, we have our own territories. Only ours are defined by  legal documents and fences and boundary lines.

But it always fills me with wonder when I observe creatures sharing our space with us, be it the small spider spinning a web in my kitchen, or the ants  nesting on the driveway, or the birds calling to each other in the backyard.  They have their own territories too and they’re often completely oblivious to our existence, until we try and drive them out.  They’re far more concerned with making sure their boundaries aren’t encroached on by others of their own species, or predators inclined to make a meal of them.

We, on the other hand, are often desperate to rid our spaces of all other living things, particularly inside our houses.  Do we really have the right to claim ownership of this piece of dirt, to the exclusion of all other species?  Everywhere else in nature, species co-exist, territories overlapping.  A wolf pack defends its turf against other wolves – not rabbits, otters, snakes and birds.  We humans have forced other living things to compromise their space, driving so many species into extinction in the process.  And it’s not  just because our population is growing.  At the end of the day, it’s really our unwillingness to share “our” space that’s the problem.

Sadly, all this introspection hasn’t changed my attitude towards mice and cockroaches in the kitchen. But it is food for thought.  And humbling…