Monday 23 August 2021

EEK!

 Last evening it was the time to make the final choice of the twelve photographs for next years 'Country File' calendar.   For any readers outside the UK - Country File is a Sunday evening programme about farming and the countryside and every year they run a competition on a given theme and then the photographs are judged and the final twelve chosen.   The calendar is sold for the Children in Need appeal - it always raises at least three million pounds.  It showed us all twelve photographs last evening and now the public are asked to vote for the winner who gets a thousand pounds worth of equipment.   The judges talked about the photographs and discussed one or two they hadn't chosen - one of which was a fantastic one of a spider.   The judges said never choose a spider as so many people hate them and would never buy a calendar if they had to look at a picture of a  spider for a whole month. 

Interesting I said to myself.   Two hours later, on my way to bed, I called in the bathroom for my last go to the toilet.   Put my fingers inside the cardboard inner roll of the toilet roll and what should shoot out and dash up my arm at breakneck speed but a very large spider which had been having  a rest inside the loo roll!

Do spiders have ears?   Can they hear loud human screams?   If so then that could have been the reason it dropped off my arm like a stone and shot across the bathroom floor and under the bath mat.

I got into bed and tried to put the whole incident out of my mind.   Difficult and this morning I peered down the inside of the roll before picking it up.   Once bitten twice shy so to speak.

Glorious day here - pure blue sky, really hot sun, the last days of Summer.   Are they called the Dog Days - I think so?  ***

Until tomorow.

***Seems not - it seems to refer to the hot days of summer.


31 comments:

Carruthers said...

Spiders don't have ears but they can hear a human several metres away using the hairs on their legs.

the veg artist said...

If my normally placid little lap-cat sees a spider cross the floor (they come down the chimney) she goes beserk. She thinks it's her job to defend me! Fifteen minutes later, once I've scooped up the spider in a jar, having put the cat out first, I get back to the TV. Not relaxing!!! Where is yours now?

The Weaver of Grass said...

Carruthers Now I hate them even more. Veg artist - don't ask - as long as it isn't inside the loo roll toightt let sleeping spiders lie ie my philosophy.
Carruthers - I shall soon be afrai to go out of the door because I am sure you know that Corn has ears, potatoes have eyes and beanstalk.

Derek Faulkner said...

A similar day here Pat, despite a stiff N breeze.
For what it's worth, I liked the first photo best, the Kestrel sitting on top of the post. I buy the calendar every year.
I've also had spiders bite me when picking them up.

Marcia LaRue said...

Well thank goodness the spider hightailed it up your arm and didn't stop to give you a nip on the arm! I hate creepy, crawly bugs and I end up doing a quick little 2-step dance on their heads if they are on the floor or I grab the swatter and have at it!!!

Debbie said...

Dog days are something to do with Sirius the dog star in the sky.I think.......

Rachel Phillips said...

The dog days of summer refer to the very hot days, not the end days. We have not really had the dog days of summer kind of summer this year in that the mid period, July/early August, has not been very hot. I have no idea why they are called the dog days except that it is so hot on dog days that one doesn't feel like working, dogs or man. I am not keen on spiders.

CharlotteP said...

Ugh, poor Pat! They made the right choice for the calendar, though.
I always keep a cup of water by my bed, and reached for it one night, in the dark. Something tickled my lip, and I put the water down quickly. Yes, it was a very large spider, sitting in the cup probably grateful not to have been eaten - or drowned!

JanF said...

We have the largest house spiders here in the Pacific NW. This time of year they come inside to mate. We catch them and take them outside. I scream every time I come across one when it surprises me. Sometimes we toss them off our second floor deck and they float down like little parachutes, then land and go running off. The only bugs I kill are silverfish.

Sue in Suffolk said...

Definitely an EEK moment.
You were lucky having sun all day, it didn't appear here until 4pm

The Weaver of Grass said...

Lovely day until 4pm here Sue - cloudy/hazy now.

John Going Gently said...

I’d have fainted
I don’t do spiders

JayCee said...

I have a large spider living behind my loo. Every time I approach it with the hoover it runs away but it is always back again the next day.

Jules said...

It's getting to that time of year. A huge spider walked across my living room carpet last night. X

Heather said...

I don't like spiders at all but have become a little braver and can actually approach one to entice it into a glass, cover it with a piece of paper having first opened the window in order to put it outside. I don't know whether it is because they have 'two' many legs - I don't mind beetles - or that they move so fast. I think I would have EEEEEked very loudly in your position yesterday.







The Feminine Energy said...

Yes, spiders can hear & see like we can. She probably thought she was safe for the night, never expecting you to use the restroom. Young spiders don't understand about us old folks & our bathroom habits. I'm sure she'll try to remember for next time. :-) Thank you for not killing her. ~Andrea xoxo

Yellow Shoes said...

I must stand up for spiders. I love them and have had a cellar spider living in my shower for years.

Tasker Dunham said...

In a holiday cottage where we once stayed there was a large spider in a top corner on the landing. I put it out in the garden. Next evening it was back in its place on the landing. I'm convinced they have strong spatial sense.

Anonymous said...

I had a large huntsman spider crawl up my front when I was in the shower. I very calmly exited the shower and covered it into a bunched bath towel and resumed the shower. Later, I shook the towel outside and off she went. I think many would have screamed.
I 've educated my husband not to kill spiders. So he , and visitors can see the web outside (we sometimes have the occasional Golden Orb spider in the garden,) I decorate the web - prevents the disgust and horror of people walking into it. I am always sad when they go - the spiders not the people!
A pet shop owner was amazed that I handled a tarantula - so soft! "Not many keen to do that!" he said. I kill Redbacks though, an automatic response here. Along with Whitetails, very nasty and dangerous. - Pam, Aus.

Tom Stephenson said...

Think yourself lucky it didn't scuttle up your fundament, Weave. My fave photo was of the sun through Durdledoor.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you Tom for that suggestion - I shall soon not dare to sit on the loo!Pam - thank goodness I don't live in Australie where there are such spiders.
Tasker you may well be right
Heather I never kill them - I use the card and glass method. We always said 'If you want to live and thrive let all spiders run alive'
John - I read fainted as farted in your reply.. Thought 'what a very 'John' reply and then found I was wrong!

Thanks folks.

Red said...

Spiders are so sudden that they cause alarm.

Susan said...

The "dog days of August" is a common reference to hot summer days. Large spiders, appearing suddenly definitely take us by surprise. I worked in Arizona for a year and one morning I saw a tarantula on the top of my office desk. I ran out and shut the door. A coworker wanted the spider and he captured it. He made paperweight featuring the spider. Only in Arizona!

Bonnie said...

The Country File calendar sounds like wonderful fund raiser. I don't care for spiders either!

Debby said...

I don't mind spiders. I'd just as soon they stayed outside however. Once I had a gecko dart out of a roll of toilet paper when I unrolled it. All I can say is that I was sitting on the right place when THAT happened.

Cro Magnon said...

I have just this second 'swatted' a big centipede who'd made the mistake of coming out from behind a painting. I really hate them!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Isn't it strange how so many children are fascinated by creepy-crawlies, while adults develop an often illogical fear of them? It would be interesting to be able to hear with the hairs on my legs - would I have to roll up my trousers to enjoy a little Mozart?

Librarian said...

While I don't mind at all spiders quietly going about their business outdoors, eating the annoying flies and mozzies, that incident would have given me a heart attack - so unexpected, and admittedly, a little scary!
Debbie's suggestion that the dog days have something to do with the star Sirius is right. Sirius is the "dog star", he is Orion the Huntsman's dog, and brightly visibly that time of year. Like several others here said, we did not have proper dog days here this year, either.

thelma said...

Always save spiders, they have good habits apart from scuttling across the carpet in Autumn. I remember years ago going to a holiday cottage and as I pulled back the quilt there was a little mouse in the bed, which led to an 'eek'

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thelma - I said eek when I read this and I wasn't even there.
John - can't help imagining a Mozart concert audience.
Debby that made me laugh - luckily we don't have geckos here!

Comforting to know I am not alone in experiencing such scares. And I hate centipedes too Cro.

monika love said...

I will always advice, that when you want to trade, you should seek the assistance of a well trained personnel. I've been trading with Robert Seaman and it would be selfish of me, if i don't recommend them. With their well guarded signals and forever active strategies i have been able to make over $11,200 usd weekly. 
Email: Robertseaman939@gmail.com