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On Tuesday morning a warm and sunny Autumn day, I was going about my duties at St M's when a trip to the loo became necessary.
Innocently approaching the hand basin I saw it had an occupant. Roughly about 3 inches in diameter and sitting black and squat and evil in the centre.
Hastily turning to the other hand basin I completed the fastest hand wash in history and made my shaky way to the refectory where my obvious agitation caused mild concern until I had explained the reason. The resulting "Oohs, Ohs and Yuks", caused a young male volunteer to offer assistance.
I yelled a completely unreasonable "Don't kill it" after his retreating back and he vanished. It seemed about 10 minutes - probably more like 30 seconds - before he returned holding something very carefully wrapped in a paper napkin headed for the door and proceeded to release his captive in the churchyard.
About an hour later, as we went into the Lady Chapel for the lunchtime eucharist, the caretaker told us the spider had tried to come back in (The main doors are kept wide open all day) and someone else had taken it back to the far side of the churchyard.
It obviously knew where its home was and resented being evicted.
They don't call them house spider for nothing.
They're everywhere at this time of year, aren't they? I gather that the most persistent offenders are male spiders, in search of a lady love!
ReplyDeleteIndeed they are everywhere aren't they Greenpatches, however, it's not their "everywhereness" that worries me so much as their specific whereabouts.
ReplyDeleteI have only to think 'spider' and one appears.
I know they have every right to share the planet with us, I just wish they would do so unobtrusively.
My daughter hates spiders too and I am forever 'rescuing' them. A moth has been living with us for a few days and I finally managed to coax it outdoors.
ReplyDeleteNext to spiders moths are just about my second least favourite 'space invader), particularly the large furry bodied ones.
ReplyDeleteWhy are our houses so attractive to them I wonder?
It's the daddy long legs that get me with their random flightyness!
ReplyDeleteOh I can be quite brave about Daddy Long Legs (said she nonchalantly) as long as they don't fly into my face.
ReplyDeleteI have learnt to close my hand over them and let them out of a window. I have to admit I hate the noise their legs make when they're skittering across the ceiling.
What a bunch of wimps we are. aren't we?
I too dislike spiders having once been bitten by one once.... I am reluctant to kill so David would either pick them up or trap them in a jam jar. He would then fling them through the window......I'm not sure whether they landed Ok...but I was just glad not to have them near me!
ReplyDeleteThey'll settle down for the winter soon!
Not in my house I hope!
ReplyDeleteMost years I've had some whoppers in the house but, amazingly this year, nothing.
I'll bet they're just waiting till I'm relaxed then they'll strike.
I get spooked when these big ones run across the room - they are mouse-sized and that is enough to have me standing on a chair....... literally! And they don't fit into the Lakeland humane spider catchers. (It's a long tube with a sucking motor that enables you to catch said spider and deposit it outside.)
ReplyDeleteBlessings from Dalamory
www.freda.org.uk
I can't cope with the really big ones either and have to call DH to do the jam-jar rescue bit. I've learned to deal with the smaller ones in the same way, but the big ones make my skin creep. :-(
ReplyDeleteI know that feeling well. The hair on the back of my neck feels as though it is standing on end and I get goose pimples.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently feather-dusting the whole house every week, ceilings, walls, under book-cases, everywhere just so there is nowhere for them to settle. So far it seems to be working, unless they're lying in wait to ambush me/