Along with late butterflies my Buddlieas are playing host to a whole army of spiders.
For weeks now I have been feather duster armed evicting the wiry thin long-legged ones from the house but am being assailed on all sides by their horrid cousins.
On Monday this week the parish administrator leant over the back of the office sofa to put something behind it and retreated hastily, having seen a large black beast lurking in a box.
Yelling for the caretaker (and she can yell), she and I, left the office at speed.
A few minutes later, another volunteer braver than either of us, had picked up the box and dropped its inhabitant outside in the churchyard.
This morning at the bus stop, it was drizzling so I was well under its roof until I suddenly found an absailing arachnid in front of my face. Luckily the bus came so I beat a hasty retreat, shuddering.
Half way through the morning, there was a yell from the bookkeepers office upstairs and she ran down the stairs closing her office door first and also shouting for the caretaker.
By the time he had made his unhurried appearance there was no sign of the invader and we all spent the remainder of the morning looking nervously around before touching anything.
Since it is Harvest Festival this coming Sunday and we are slowly gathering a mountain of donated goodies in the office in preparation for displaying them at the service, I am treading very warily around bags and boxes only too aware that their contents may contain the odd surprise.
What is it about this season that produces the desire for confrontation in the (hearts?) of this eight-legged brigade of nasties?
Why can't they just go about their arachnid affairs without the need for face-to-face tactics?
Why am I such a wimp?
I have been told that spiders come indoors to winter in safety with us and to look for a mate to keep warm with! Neither of those reasons makes me any friendlier towards them than you are!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not Jean. A mate???
DeleteThat means two instead of one. Brrr.
We appear to have a spider free house, thanks to the cat, yet whenever our daughter visits, out they come in force! I swear they know she's coming.
ReplyDeleteThey are such important creatures that I have, with a great deal of effort, learned to catch them and release them outside. Every year when we get to France after several months absence, they are there in abundance. Then it is very difficult to be so appreciative. Thankfully, it is mostly webs that we find...
ReplyDeleteI also as you will know from previous blogs, evict the beasts, but, and it's a big but, I would very much prefer them to visit those who admire them.
ReplyDeleteI particularly hate their sudden appearances just as I'm going to bed, and have just today had some spider repellent delivered.
This allegedly smells awful to them and they go elsewhere.
Not holding my breath but living in hope.
Some people call the thin-legged ones harvest spiders, which i suppose explains their profusion at this season. Those I can cope with quite easily as they don't tend to move about much. It's their heavy, thick-legged, fast-moving cousins which have me leaving the room in a hurry. Roll on winter.....
ReplyDeleteI don't discriminate Perpetua. They are all equally horrible as far as I'm concerned, though since John's death I have had to learn how to evict them..shudder!
DeleteHave used the spray I bought, so far only in two places but will experiment more fully soon.
Hoping.