Since MOTHS never sleep, and are as active now as 50 years ago, the looks of bafflement that sistrah Becky and I got when we asked for MOTHBALLS are a bit baffling in themselves (e.g. in Woolworths and in my otherwise unimpeachable nearby drycleaners – shopname “Venus Bigfoot” for reasons best known to themselves – we were looked at as if we were mad for asking).
I can see that worries about toxicity might have pushed the market down a bit – but I suspect some kind of Naffness Alert is the real culprit, as if minding about jumpers w.holes in them is the province of little old ladies w.blue hair.
The chemists I finally found them in, the guy – by no means a yoot – said “They’ve changed the formula”, and then (when he saw the very extremely old-skool label: “Dragon Brand Traditional Moth Balls – For Protection Against Moths) “Er no maybe they haven’t!!”
Meanwhile my friend T sent me some of these, which I have to admit do actually smell nicer – except is that a good thing, in context? My own haha “natural” instinct is to get cross at the claim that the effects of NAPHTHALENE and PARADICHLOROBENZENE are in some sense NOT “natural” – cancer is “natural”, and so is death, by plant or animal or anything – but yeah, I would I guess like actually to survive my solution to the jumper-holes problem.
Anyway also I found this….
(Next week, where to buy gothballs)