Ewwwwwwwwwwww

[catalyst2]

Just got up from the laptop to make a drink and put my slippers on. As I put the left one on, there was a moment of brief resistance under my heel and then a sticky wet squelch underfoot as I crushed something. I rip my slipper off and threw it as far away from me as I could (fortunately everyone else has gone to bed so no-one saw my pathetic display). My heel was sticky with yellowy-green gunk. When I eventually peeked in the slipper, there was the biggest spider I have *ever* seen. It's body was at least six inches across and its legs were probably about 2 feet, maybe even three feet across! Just frigging enormous! Almost as big as a small dog! I had to scoop all the gunk out of the slipper and wash my heel whilst gagging all the way!

It is just possible that in all my hysteria, the spider was just *slightly* smaller than three feet across. Still .... ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Comments

[catalyst2.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, bug stories - the one you will usually hear from Australia is about redback spiders (http://www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps1rv.html). They are quite common around us (seen on a daily basis) but some common sense usually prevents most bites:
- Don't stuck your hand into dark cavities without checking what's in there first
- Teach children what redbacks look like, that they need to move away from them and tell an adult
- (my personal favourite) If you are going to kill them, kill them really thoroughly

This occasionally sees me prowling around the house with steelcap boots on, a spare shoe in one hand and a can of bug spray in the other! They don't get away from me often!