A few days ago, a gecko arrived. I came into my room one morning – I had just made a cup of tea – and there he was, clinging casually to the ceiling. As I went to sit down, he scuttled across the ceiling and stopped, just above my head. I carefully set down my tea. Above me, the gecko twisted its head back and forth, looking at me. We sat for a while, staring at each other. I don’t really mind geckos but I had visions of him falling into my hot (and yummy) camomile tea.

As I watched, the gecko curled himself around and bit his tail, curled into a perfect ‘O’, with little gecko hands. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots. As soon as the flash burst forth, he uncurled and started moving stealthily away. He clearly wasn’t a fan of bright light.

He didn’t move far, though. During the rest of the day, he wandered backwards and forwards and around the edge of the room, where the ceiling met the wall, keeping me company. He was back the next day, before disappearing when the colder weather arrived.

I posted the pics on facebook and enjoyed the reactions. Responses from New Zealand, London, Canada, the UK, South Africa, New York. Some of these people know each other but most are utterly unconnected. Unique individuals scattered around the globe sharing the joy of something as simple as a friendly gecko.