My moth hell has given me sympathy for all fellow sufferers – even the 1% | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

When infestations affect Notting Hill billionaires, it reminds you that it’s the little winged bastards who truly own this city

While reading of the case of the super-rich couple suing the previous owners of their west London mansion over its moth infestation, one particularly detail prompted warm memories. Iya Patarkatsishvili and Yevhen Hunyak had to tip away glasses of wine after discovering moths floating in them, Hunyak told the court. Ah yes, I thought, I too have found a moth taking a little dip in my tipple, though I’ll admit that I simply fished him out rather than waste a glass. Worse, mine only contained Tesco’s finest wine, as opposed to, you know, the world’s.

Moths, it seems, pay no attention to social class. Whether you are a lowly renter in a poky flat, such as I, or the daughter of a Georgian billionaire; if you live in London, they are coming for you. Moths, like mice in the tube, are simply a fact of living in this city, so commonplace as to be almost unremarkable. Even when waging daily battle against them, you sort of forget about them; their soft fluttering wings are a kind of inaudible mood music, until someone who has recently moved here says, “What’s with all the moths?”, and you remember the bastards that truly own this city.

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist and author

Topics

Latest in World

Middle East latest: Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza Strip
World - ABC News - 20 minutes ago
West Indies v England: third men’s T20 cricket international – live
World - The Guardian - 21 minutes ago
Brief scuffle between fans mars France-Israel soccer match
World - CBS News - 24 minutes ago
Regional court blames Guatemala for the disappearance of 4 human rights activists in 1989
World - ABC News - 29 minutes ago
Donald Trump announces vaccine skeptic RFK Jr to lead US health department – live updates
World - The Guardian - 32 minutes ago

My moth hell has given me sympathy for all fellow sufferers – even the 1% | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Topics

Related

Don’t ‘boy mum’ me. These stereotypes around raising children do enormous harm | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

People around the world are appalled by Trump’s win, but women have been gripped by a visceral horror | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Beastieball Has Finally Given Me The Pokemon-Like Game Of My Dreams

'All hell has broken loose': Inside Elon Musk's high-stakes pro-Trump door-knocking effort

Becoming deaf has made me feel insecure. How can I regain my confidence? | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

Lucy Kellaway: finding my inner Maria in the Austrian Alps

‘She did not even attend his funeral’: My friend married in secret and suddenly died. Does his widow inherit his $1 million home?

‘It strikes me as vengeful’: My friend wants to boycott a coffee shop because of the owner’s political views. Is this what America has become?

11/1: CBS Evening News

More from The Guardian

Donald Trump announces vaccine skeptic RFK Jr to lead US health department – live updates

Stop ‘draconian’ mass deportations of Haitians fleeing gangs, activists say

UN special committee likens Israeli policy in Gaza to genocide

NSO – not government clients – operates its spyware, legal documents reveal

London-based Russian TV chef Alexei Zimin found dead in Belgrade

Latest in World

Middle East latest: Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes in Gaza Strip

West Indies v England: third men’s T20 cricket international – live

Brief scuffle between fans mars France-Israel soccer match

Regional court blames Guatemala for the disappearance of 4 human rights activists in 1989

Donald Trump announces vaccine skeptic RFK Jr to lead US health department – live updates