I was removing the last crusty flakes of mascara when I saw IT through the mirror – and froze.
A spider the size of a dinner plate attached to the side of my bed. I could feel the ends of my hairs tightening in shock.
Equipped for such an emergency, I silently inched my way towards the spider catcher perched on my en-suite shelf, keeping my eyes firmly fixed on this unwanted leggy guest.
The spider catcher has an eight inch plastic handle with a shovel underneath to trap such dark creatures, then whoosh, I close the trap door, and release it out into the moonlit night from my bedroom window, open wide and ready.
Only, of course, this guy is too big and quick and, in a flash, runs for his life under the bed.
I summon tired husband from downstairs, just back from an office wedding party, who grumbles and asks why I didn’t call him in the first place. He was too far away, I was alone and had to act quickly.
Tired husband (it is 1am) picks up a coathanger and aimlessly flings it under the bed. The confused spider dashes out and then back again, seeking sanctuary in his safe darkness under the bed. Under a kingsize bed which is virtually rooted to the floor.
He is safe.
"That’s it, I’m sleeping in the spare room."
Tired husband was fed-up husband by then.
Where do I sleep tonight? How will I know this unwanted fellow has moved on? Will he be casting webs under my bed? Is it my imagination, are spiders getting BIGGER?
lol, I guess you can’t say to hubby:
“You are sleeping in the spare room tonite, unless you catch that darn spidern and throw it out” – if the spider is under your bed.
PS – That’s some cute spider, do you want me to come round and sort it.
So, where’s the video
Vista Compliant – compliance means compliance
Have you tried YouTube or brightcove tv
More spiders @ Katie’s Poetry Corner
Of course it is absolutely harmless! You could just snatch it and carry it outside yourself!
Unlike the Australian Wolf Spider I found in my camping cabin in the desert – Simon had to help me get that thing out 🙂
By the way, congratulations on your wedding anniversary 🙂
Elle, what do you actually think the spider is going to do?
Slight over- reaction,maybe? 🙂
You need worry Ellee Ive got the invasion of the mice.
The fields were cut a few weeks ago and as ever I started hearing sounds in the pipework , but over the last week they are now massing and doing daring day time runs all around the house .
Just walked into the utility room to see no less than three .
I gave them a chance by putting down humane catch boxes but this lot are deternined on destruction , so now its poison !
Feel like a Victorian murderer , does anyone know where you can purchase arsenic over the counter these days !!!
Crushed, I just can’t bear the thought of a large spider crawling over me while I’m asleep, or waking up and find it close by. I shiver at the thought. I know it’s irrational and I know they are harmless. I’m going to keep telling myself that all day because I have a very comfy bed and want to sleep in it again tonight.
Georgegirl, funnilyy enough, mice don’t bother me. We have a cat and if I suspect a mice is in a cupboard, he dives in and soon fishes them out. I know that’s cruel too.
Never mind Gordon Brown…spiders are scary!
Poor Ellee I’m sure you will soon be able to overcome this fear.
Ellee, there are no poisonous spiders where you live. When I was growing up in Australia I was always worrying about them, but here in Canada I never do because they won’t hurt me even if they bite me, which is highly unlikely.
That poor fellow was more scared of you than you were of him.
Spiders are getting bigger and bigger and their hideous hairy legs pad across the floor but not in your house, Ellee. He’s undoubtedly moved on to torment another poor soul.
The reason the spider ran away is becuase it was scared of YOU, Elle. And I don’t blame it either.
Spare room? I’d have booked into an hotel if one of those things was lurking! Ellee, get a dog…
PS: Ellee, I can’t get anything on the J Sturdy post: there’s your intro but after that it’s a blank page.
The J Sturdy video works fine on my laptop are you sure you have all the pluins needed to run videos on your pc welscakes
Im like others unable to get young Mr Sturdy, but Im not very techno, however from what Ive read it seems that the Tories in York done bad .Well as a York girl I can tell you lot that its not the York folk who are wrong but the Tories for putting up some wet Tory farmer who knows nothing about how ordinary people in Yorkshire exist even in my home town of York.
We arent concerned about some road works , we are concerned about Rowntrees and Terrys and the railways and what it means to our futore emplyment .
You stupid lot dont even understand what it means to families who for generations have relied on good local employment ( often based upon Quaker ethos )to keep them employed .
Now you think its OK to see us as some sort of political pawn in your game to get control.
You should be ashamed of yourselves .
Me , Im just proud to be working class.
As for Mr Sturdy , I suggest he takes time to go and see the Hungate dig in York , he will see there the true background to York and its history .
Its nothing to do with Bl–dy farmers.
He will perhaps understand that to most York people it relates more to them than his ” Im a local farmer claims ” so what , the rest of the population arent.
Nor do they care about richo farmer who always manages to stay ahead.
Roll on the general election when Brown will yet again decimate what ever left of Tory values .
Perhaps then something new will emerge.
Georgegirl, I am sorry you cannot play the video. Julian is only too well aware of all the local issues as he meets regularly with constituents from all political backgrounds. He knows only too well the difficulties they face, and what the future holds with more cutbacks, the slashing of rural post offices, poor local transport, drastic police and hospital funding reductions. The people who live there will tell you about this, whatever party they support, it is simply a fact..
Ellee,
Oh please , save us the PR clap trap about young Mr Sturdy .
Hes about in touch as I am to whats going on in Iran . .
Hes yet another of ” call me Daves ” would be wont be Tory saviours .
Look back at Margeret Thatchers term in office to see why”call me Dave ” we are ruined .
The polls are right, the populace will inspite of everythig vote Labour , they dont care about the ordinary working man .
They are too intent on all those who are now reliant upon the state to hold their hand.
David Cameron is useless , nothing more than a stupid vapid Tory Toff.
Why didnt you lot vote David Davies .
Well Ill tell you why not , cos you dont want to win .
Lord save us from such a gang.
Georgegirl, I know Julian personally, there is a huge difference between “PR clap trap” and working with a very genuine and honest person who cares deeply for his community. I have never worked for anyone, or on behalf of anyone, who did not have integrity and honesty, who I did not believe in totally.
And to all you unsympathetic guys, I say that spider could have been a black widow. What is going to happen if it reappears tonight when my husband is away on business? I shall simply have to chance it – again.
Georgegirl,
I’m sorry to have to say this, but I really hate when people say they are ‘proud’ to be working class – but don’t get me wrong here, my background is as working class as the next man or woman.
If anything, ‘our class’ should aspire to be something much, much better than just being stereotypical proletarian. We should in fact be aspiring to become the new ruling elite, precisely because of our class background.
My father worked for over thirty years at the Ford’s car plant in Dagenham east London, just so me, my brothers and sister could go to school and be educated, and live a far better life than the Windrush generation that came before us.
Being a fully paid-up member of the English working class is nothing to be proud of – indeed, you tell me Georgegirl, how can you be so proud of being at the bottom end of our society?
Again, don’t get me wrong here Georgegirl, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, I think me, you and Ellee (and most of the people who make comments here) actually have far, far more in common with each other than we have differences.
Hi Courtney,
Your mailing made me smile ( and Im a bit less angry than when I put thoughts of Cameron down a few days ago, though I still think hes a useless looser and will not ever be PM ! )
You have assumed that ” Im at the bottom of the pile ”
Firstly I dont class the working class background I came from as anything like the feckless workshy bunch so often nowadays classed as ” working class”
The real old working class have moved on .
All my family worked hard , were utterly respectable and looked after themselves and their children ( charity was a dirty word in our house , as was the thought of the workhouse to my Grandparents.)
And therefore Im very proud to be from such a social group , they were admirable people.
In two generations I have come from having a Grandmother widowed at 34 with 8 children to raise in a two up two down terrace home with 5 shillings a week from his Rowntrees pension ( plus her earnings going out cleaning and looking after the Ladies cloakroom in the local theatre every night)to my children all having gone to private schools , we own and run a successful business and a number of properties .
Thats why Im so damned angry at the Tory party we now have .
It no longer supports people like us , self sufficient , with children to be proud of .
Instead Dave tells us to ” hug a hoodie ”
And modernise !
He cant even bring himself to actually come out with the word marriage , instead its all about ” partnerships or just people whom stay together ”
Its not for me Im afraid .
I am in total agreement with Georgegirl- how dare anyone catergorize working class as “bottom of the pile”. Its a vile insult, and if this is the attitude of todays Tories, then Britain has every right to resoundingly reject them yet again at the polls. For all the PR spin of the new caring sharing conservatives, these kind of casual slurs show that it is precisely that- just spin.
Georgegirl,
I agree with your sentiments in regards to David Cameron – your right, he is a bit of a loser.
However, I refuse to romanticise about working class communities, who on the whole live rather banal lives, and are constantly struggling to keep their financial heads above water. Nor will I bang on about the nostalgic good old days of class solidarity – as you quite rightfully say, those days are over.
Having said that, I do agree that the overwhelming majority of working class people in this country are hard working, and that is indeed a very ‘admirable’ trait. And this is the main reason I will always take a forceful stand against those who wish to bash the proles – who are at the bottom of our society whether people agree with that or not.
Anon,
I very carefully tried to say above – ‘don’t get get me wrong here’ – however, it appears that you have done just that…
And just for your information Anon, I’m not a Tory, on the contrary, where I come from, that would be considered a ‘vile insult’ of the highest order.
Indeed, have you ever heard of Cold Blow Lane? My guess is, judging by the tone of your comment, probably not…
Courtney,
We are at somewhat odds here , I dont attempt to romantisise what life was like for the ” respectable working class ” it was hard and at times dreadful, however, many of those people raised themselves above their situation and maintained their pride and respectability.The people now at the bottom of society ie the underclass have little in common with the true Working class of the early 2oth century.
My background was of parents with a Trades Union background .
Not to overthrow but simply to give credence to their needs.
It isnt about ” class solidarity ” how contrived is that sentiment .
Its about values and aspirations, both of which my family had by the bucket full and indeed fulfilled .
When I was a member of the Tory Party ( please dont tell anyone ) it was because of a grocers daughter from of all places Grantham ( what a dump that is !!) who wanted to make my class aspirations a reality .
Not to be beholden to the state.
I used to hate all the party party Tories who thought that it was about garden parties and social occasions where they could bray and brag .
No wonder they really despised Margaret who was far and above all that nonsense .
We now have yet another hurray Henry.
Well at least George Osborn has started to say the right things today at conference , but I fear too damed late to work.
Lord help us all if Brown does call a snap election .
Hes a real monster but we wont know how much till the people give him a mandate.
Georgegirl,
Ok, let’s just call this a truce for now because we’re straying way off topic for this post – let us both unite and have some sympathy for poor Ellee who has a spider the size of a plate (yeah right) under her bed…
how horrible!! You know you can call me anytime and I will dash round, pick it up with my bare hands and deposit it outside – or take it back to my house from whence it probably came! My mother always used to say ‘if you want to live and thrive, let a spider run alive’ Don’t forget it!
Tina, you are always an angel when I need you in these circumstances. It was probably the same spider that you chucked out of my dining room a week ago. They know a good home when they see it;-)