Hello and welcome to this edition of our newsletter / Blog Post, from Čardačani, in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina, written by an immigrant (me), as I am neither a tourist or a citizen here.
A Downside to Village Life
I Know!
I tend to write only about positive things in life.
Well, it’s certainly better to do that, than dwell on the “shit-show” that is life for some people living in Ukraine 🇺🇦 at the moment.
Apart from Power-cuts (often), Floods (used to be a thing in Spring but not so much now), and Smells (spreading muck on the surrounding fields), the period between March and September brings these devils. The humble tick.
We have ticks here every year. Tamara has become somewhat of a tick removal expert when it comes to keeping our Cats and Dogs as tick free as is possible.
Dogs seem to be more susceptible to tick problems than cats.
Once the tick latches on to a dog it just grows to bursting, having sucked blood for some time. Tamara does animal checks twice a day and we often also find blood residue on our floors, having stepped on ticks that have fallen off the animals.
Both Cooper and Fibi have suffered from tick infections in the past, so they now enjoy protection, from wearing expensive anti tick collars.
One of the main carriers of ticks here are sheep it seems.
Just the other day we had a flock of sheep being driven through the village. They passed by our house on their way down the hill, before turning away into the Vally (the drone image above shows that).
It can only be coincidence, but the next day, as I got into the shower, I saw a half buried, but very much alive tick on my stomach.
You will not feel the tick attach to you, so check your skin - advice from Lyme Disease Action.
Tamara came to pull it out but, unluckily, the head stayed in.
So off we went to the local Health Centre (Dom Zdravlje) in Laktaši.
The nurse managed to remove what was left of the tick. I still have to watch the site of the bite for a while, just in case symptoms start to appear. Lyme Disease is not joke.
So far. So Good 👍
Have you had any dealing with ticks where you live?
We get a Surprise Delivery
This past week we collected a package in Banja Luka from the mother of one of our readers, Mirjana.
Mirjana had sent something to her mother, and included something small for Tamara, some excellent French biscuits, a jar of Marmite (David’s favourite), English Tea bags, and some ongoing financial support to this newsletter.
Thank you Micki it means so so so much to us having such a loyal supporter.
Now That’s What I Call An Egg
We have recently pivoted from purchasing chickens and eggs in local stores, to buying direct from a neighbouring village.
And Finally
Thanks for reading this post. We hope it provides some value to you 😀👍
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Tamara and I appreciate your faithful readership, your comments, and your generosity!
THANKS SO MUCH ❤️
Yeah Dave Virginia has quite a tick problem if you hike or walk in long grass, deer ticks and they are nasty. Checking all crevices is crucial 😄
Sorry to hear about the ticks, rotten little buggers have the here too, wishing you a quick recovery