Another book of mine that has been brewing for longer than anticipated is titled "My Neighbour the Slug." I was inspired to write this book two years ago when I watched my son explore the garden. He was delighted to discover numerous snails hiding in the grass. He was particularly excited by the slimy trails they left behind, even getting some on his hands. Later on, he picked up a few slugs and was surprised by how their sticky secretions clung to his skin like a second layer. Yet, this didn’t deter him; he continued to collect more the following day.

This experience resonated with me, partly because I had a snail garden as a child. I had a large plastic terrarium that was originally a hamster transport box, which I repurposed into a home for snails. My friend and my sister helped me collect snails while we were playing outside, and we created a cosy habitat for them. To our amazement, a few days later, we discovered that the snails had multiplied! Instead of three, we suddenly had a real snail farm. At that age, we were completely oblivious to how this happened and thought the snails must possess some magical abilities. After about two weeks, we had to release them back into the wild because their enclosure had become quite cramped.

If you're ever considering getting an easy pet, I can recommend snails. They are simple to feed and care for. Our newest addition to the family, a woodlouse, has also proven to be an easy and resilient pet, eating everything from vegetable scraps to dried flowers.