Every morning I do what I call the gecko patrol – going through the house cleaning up any mess left by the numerous geckos that live in our house, always grateful that there are no carpets and that the highly polished floor tiles are easy to clean. Despite this, I like having the geckos around – they are the reason we have relatively few insects inside. They also provide some entertainment! Our landlord attached a huge TV screen to the wall in the living room and behind this screen is obviously a favoured living and hunting space for a gecko, judging by how fiercely the gecko resident there defends his territory against any intruders. The gecko who lives behind the adjacent curtain makes attempts on the TV screen gecko’s space quite often and this leads to loud arguments and the occasional losing of grip on the wall. The local nickname for gecko is ‘chit-chat’, which seems really appropriate when you hear the arguing. Before you think that my life has been reduced to watching geckos, let me assure you that I also keep a careful eye on the bird life in our garden from my desk at the window!