Wednesday 10 November 2021

Spiders

Had an interesting conversation with the window cleaner this afternoon.   Other than that a very quiet day - it is a grey day and although not particularly cold it is not inviting out there so I have stayed in and done one or two chores.

My  conversation with the window cleaner was about spiders.   My bungalow faces SSW and NNE - SSW being the front windows from the sitting room and the kitchen, the back windows the bathroom and the dining room and computer room and bedrooms. This time of year when the sun begins to get low in the sky my sitting room is warm all day.

But when I go round with Priscilla into the back garden whe re the windows get no sun at all in the winter, I find that the wooden frames and window sills are absolutely festooned with gossamer threads of spiders' webs.   They are really quite pretty but now that I don't walk easily I can't keep going round the back of the bungalow and wiping all the woodwork with a damp cloth so it really has to wait for a visit from the window cleaner.

I spoke to him today about it and he says it happens on all the window sills along my road.   How strange is that?

The only other thing which happened is that the place where I am buying my new Hearing Aids rang to say that they are ready for fitting.   Can't come soon enough for me as one of my existing ones has a permanent whistle.   I have fixed  up   the mechanics of the operation with taxi drivers and synchronised it all with collection from school - I have to make sure the taxi can get there, wait and return before the school run.  So soon I shall be whistle free I hope.

Spare a thought this evening for Gayle (two little square black dogs on my side bar) who has lost her beloved black cat.   It is always sad to have to bear the death of a beloved pet  - the price we pay for loving animals who have so much shorter lives than we do.

Until tomorrow dear friends.

 

22 comments:

Chris said...

But spiders are our biological fly catchers! Thats what I say when people point out their webs in our house.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Spiders inhabit my windowsills with total disregard of their aspect and only rarely are disturbed by a damp cloth. I rather admire spiders for their optimism; one has built a nice web inside the tool cupboard in my shed, I've never seen any flies in there but that spider continues to survive somehow.

Heather said...

I would have thought spiders would prefer the sunnier side of the houses in your road.
You must be pleased that you will soon be rid of the whistle in your hearing aid. Hope all goes well with the fitting.
It has been very grey, damp and dreary but quite mild here all day. No actual rain but everywhere looking wet. Tonight it is getting foggy.

JayCee said...

I know that spiders are harmless and have their useful place in nature, but I really don't like sharing my home with them. I usually try to pretend I haven't seen them if they pop up somewhere in the house.

the veg artist said...

We've had some quite magnificent webs spun between the house and shrubs, the house and the clothes line pole, and even along the line itself. They've also been very busy in the greenhouse, which is a bit off-putting when I open the door and walk straight in, forgetting about them every time. I quite admire them, as long as they stay outside!

The Weaver of Grass said...

My view is like that of the veg artist

Bonnie said...

It is interesting that most of the homes on your street have spiders on the same side of the house. Some spiders have multiple eyes so maybe the sun hurts their eyes?

It was quite sad to hear about the loss of Gayle and her son's cat, especially so soon after losing their other cat.

Debby said...

Tim and I have begun to laugh a bit over that fact that we have one fly that managed to get into the house before it began snowing outside. If I am working in the kitchen the fly is there. (I am sure he's just heading where the light is). No matter what room we are in, he winds up in that room. Tim has begun to call him our pet fly, and we wonder how long he will be around. Do you think we should put a present under the tree for him?

Chris said...

Seemingly spiders are attracted to natural gas outlets. I have to have my gas fireplace and pool heater cleaned regularly as they frequently gum up the works with their webs. Other than that, I am not bothered by spiders.

Susan said...

My house is in the woods and I have spiders too. Last year a spider built a web inside the condensation pipe of one of my heat pumps. The web worked like a plug and stopped the water from exiting the system. The water backed up and flooded half of my living room wood floor. I was not planing on new wood floors but I must say the new floors are lovely. The heat pump engineer put some steel wool at the end of all the condensation pipes and now no spiders can enter and build another plug.

Cro Magnon said...

I had a friend whose hearing aid would whistle all the time. It drove him crazy. New technology should get that sorted!

Librarian said...

You'll soon be whistle free, and have another trip to Ripon as an added bonus!
With all the trees and gardens around my house, and me constantly airing the rooms, it is amazing how few spiders actually do come in. There was one the other day, and I managed to persuade it to back out by using the old glass-and-postcard method (it was a postcard showing York Minster, by the way).
I know how important they are in nature, but my flat is MY living quarters, and the only animals I like to share it with are cats (when I still had my own) and dogs (visiting).

Angela said...

Totally agree 😊 🕷️🕸️😉

Rachel Phillips said...

Hearing aid whistling is an occupational hazard. With my mother the whistling was caused by her own behaviour with the hearing aids and not a fault of the aids themselves.

Tom Stephenson said...

The fine spider webs in your street is probably to do with the prevailing wind direction. Those little ones travel on the breeze to get away from their parents.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Tom - that is amazing - do you mean it or is it a joke I don't understand?
Rachel - suspectthe same is true here.
Susan - amazing story.

Thank you for your comments friends.

Derek Faulkner said...

Tom is correct, baby spiders often disperse by travelling on a single strand of webbing in the wind - it is called ballooning.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you for that info Tom and Derek I shall be able to impress somebody with that knowledge one day.

Thanks everyone. Sorry no post today - too tired

Granny Sue said...

Spiders seem to want to move in with us in the fall. I do my best to keep them outside. There's one on our porch that's a tunnel spider, and builds the most intriguing nest. I don't mind spiders, but don't like walking into their webs. And the webs drive our poor cat crazy when he's trying to slink through the woods.

angryparsnip said...

We have some monster Desert Spiders here and poisonous !
It is feeling so lonely here without her When Son came back from outside you could alway hear her say Hello to him when he walked in his room.

Ursula said...

Spiders? I am turning into a veritable Miss Havisham minus the cake, plenty of webs. I do understand "normal" spiders. The ones that freak you out by size, indoors. Touch wood, haven't seen one in ages.

The ones I don't understand and which seem to have taken up residence are those teensy ones - with virtually no body. They "weave" almost like lace. Barely visible.

I don't like killing other living beings, neither do I charge them rent. Bit of a bind. My only comfort that if I do hoover them up they won't know the difference (being dead).

All the best,
U

The Weaver of Grass said...

How interesting you all are - good job we don't all live in the same house - some would be inviting spiders in and some would be glass and card or hoovering them up!