Zanzara

When we used to stay in Forli in the summer, Mum and Dad would be in Nonna's bed, I'd be on a single which was in that room, at the side, and Janey would be on a put-you-up bed at the foot of the big bed. We'd go round at night, clearing the room of the mozzies (zanzara) and we'd burn one of those special little swirly candle things to put them off. Nevertheless if there was one in the room, it'd find me! Mum, Dad and Janey used to get the odd bite, but I'd always look as though they'd feasted 'till dawn on me. I'm sure the others used me as a lure so that they didn't get bitten!!! I remember once being able to trace a mozzie's journey from my neck, up across my mouth, nose and eyelid, into my hair. Bites all the way along, and me looking like Frankenstein's monster. Big swolllen lumps. Not just a little red spot. I always was allergic to them. A few years later I was living in a house with a pond. One night we sat out and I must have got bitten 20 or 30 times on the legs. The following day, my legs were solid blocks of poisonous mozzie bites. The individual bites had joined together! The doctor said I was too far gone for antihistamine, and that only cool baths and calamine lotion was going to do the trick!

So it has come as a bit of a surprise to find that not only does Dan get bitten, he's even more attractive to the mozzies than me and he's even more allergic.

Bad news for Dan but quite good news for me! First time we realised his allergy was in Italy, at the beach, a few years ago. He got bitten on the eyelid and it swelled up so much it closed his eye, and the pharmacist wanted to give him an adrenaline injection!

This time, I was forewarned about the mozzies in the summer in Venice, and so have come prepared with antihistamine tablets, mozzie spray and stuff to sooth you if you have been bitten. Needless to say, though, he was got on the 1^st night – 3 bites on the right knee. They've all come up in blisters, big'uns, and his knee is rock hard with the poison underneath. Poor guy – we keep putting cool, damp cloths on them to cool them down but I think the itching is driving him mad!