SPIDERS!!!

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lonelymom
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by lonelymom »

I refused to do the frog dissection in biology at school. My teacher thought it was because I didn't agree with the whole animal dissection thing, but really it was because, even dead, the frog frightened me! :lol:
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

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Poor birds. I am heavily into feeding songbirds, in my back garden. To the extent that I seem to have attracted several familes of Starlings, who I regret to say - are not quiet. I was mortified one morning, a few months ago, to be lying in bed reading on a Saturday and to hear from next door's garden a very pronounced observation : 'Noisy birds, Daddy'. It's usually 'I have done a Poo...' but this was different. Toby has a very piercing voice and he is only three years old, but I was mortified when his father agreed with him about the 'noisy birds'. And even though my feeding the birds has tailed off a bit, the starlings remain noisy.....
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NEILL THE NOTORIOUS
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by NEILL THE NOTORIOUS »

At one time, we lived next door to a lady, who had the "Bird Phobia"
She arrived at our door, in a terrible, hysterical state, to inform us that there was a bird in her kitchen ---- I avoided the obvious question -- "Was it a Turkey ?" and was sent to deal with the Emergency ! :oops:

On arrival, I found a very young BAT clinging tothe curtains, which I removed, very carefully, and took outside to where Momma Bat was circling and squeaking her head off --- presumeably in bat Swearwords at her child.

I cast the child upwards --- and the two were instantly re-united ----- :D

The interesting end to this saga is, that the Lady, on hearing what it was,said "Oh good, that's alright then -- I thought it was a BIRD !" --- It would appear that BATS don't qualify, for the Phobia !!! :lol:


----------- I await, with interest, Lonelymom's views !!!!! :lol:
lonelymom
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

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NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:On arrival, I found a very young BAT clinging tothe curtains, which I removed, very carefully, and took outside to where Momma Bat was circling and squeaking her head off --- presumeably in bat Swearwords at her child.

I cast the child upwards --- and the two were instantly re-united ----- :D
:lol:

Well, you won't be surprised to hear that I don't like bats either! I've only encountered them twice though - the first time was in a very old church, and during the service I realised, to my horror, that there was a bat flying above our heads! I don't think I heard any of the rest of the sermon, I was terrified that it would come down near me! Eeeeurgh! The second time was a few years ago, and I think it was somewhere like Longleat (can't quite remember though) and it was a walk-through thing where you went into the darkened room and you could hear all the clicking sounds above, and feel the draughts as they flew around! But the SMELL! It was awful, the worst thing I have ever smelt. How and why I ever went in there to start with I will never know (quite apart from the bat thing, my claustrophobia went into overdrive!) but NEVER AGAIN!

I'm glad your story had a happy ending for the mum and baby bats, but I am even more glad that they were nowhere near me! :roll:
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by Fjgrogan »

Lonelymom - time for some positive thinking. Is there anything that you are actually comfortable with?
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J.R.
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

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Fjgrogan wrote:Lonelymom - time for some positive thinking. Is there anything that you are actually comfortable with?


(waits with baited breath..... !)
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

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NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:
On arrival, I found a very young BAT clinging tothe curtains, which I removed, very carefully, and took outside to where Momma Bat was circling and squeaking her head off --- presumeably in bat Swearwords at her child.
I expect she had a few choice words to say.
The other day we were walking back from the bakers when a bird flew down and landed on the roof of a parked car. My wife threw some bread crumbs for it but it refused to move. The next we knew was that another bird, probably "Mum", flew down and started to prod and peck it as if to say: "You can't stay here all day, use those things called wings and let's get out of here." It was only when she pushed him to the edge of the roof that he eventually took flight and they flew up and away, with not a backward look for the crumbs we had strewn for them.
Maternal instinct at work again.
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by Kim2s70-77 »

NEILL THE NOTORIOUS wrote:At one time, we lived next door to a lady, who had the "Bird Phobia"

On arrival, I found a very young BAT clinging tothe curtains, which I removed, very carefully, and took outside to where Momma Bat was circling and squeaking her head off --- presumeably in bat Swearwords at her child.

I have a whole colony of bats in my attic (belfrey, perhaps??!?) and at dusk there is a wheeling of flight from the corner of my chimney that rivals that from Carlsberg Caverns! Someone once told me that you can lure them away by putting some of their guano in a specially-made BatBox nearby. I went to the local Hardware store and the batbox they sold was about 15" high; 12" wide and 3-4" deep. It said "houses 200 bats". I thought of the size of my attic and calculated the number of batboxes required - and decided against it. Someone else suggested "building them out" - ie closing up their hole after they've left to go foraging. I am afraid the guilt of rendering thousands of bats homeless - or worse, possibly imprisoning all the babies and old people - who might then die and smell atrocious - was more than I could deal with. So - I made an agreement with them - if they eat as many mosquitos as they can; don't come into the house - and use their guano to further insulate the attic - we can live peaceably and harmoniously. They have honoured this for the most part, although there was one funny occasion when my daughter was a teenager. Her bedroom was on the 3rd floor (converted from the attic) and one night I was awakened by the telephone next to my bed. I grabbed it hastily - middle of the night phone calls usually mean bad news from England - and heard the terrified voice of my daughter pleading for me to help her. My heart flipped - with visions of rapists/kidnappers/murderers etc - and tried to ask her calmly where she was, so that I could rush to her defense. "I'm in bed under the covers, with my cell phone - and there's a bat loose in here!" Bat was easily caught with shrimping net and deposited outside, but - an interesting night! I always thought they were just like little mice with leathery wings - but, in reality, they have a way of rearing up on their elbows; splitting their face in half and hissing at one quite malevolently. Not my favourite lodger! Oh well. As long as I don't get rabies................
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by lonelymom »

Fjgrogan wrote:Lonelymom - time for some positive thinking. Is there anything that you are actually comfortable with?
Yes, I love cats and dogs. Actually, I've just been trying to think what else, and I can't think of anything! I hadn't realised before quite how scared I am of most animals. I have come to realise, since this thread started, how many fears I have, and yet, if you'd asked me a few months ago to describe myself I would have said I was a confident, bold and outgoing! :roll:
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by J.R. »

I must be very fortunate in not being in the least scared of any animal - any shape, any type.

I've played with puma's, (before the Dangerous Animals Act); been inside an enclosure with a pair of cheetahs, who incidently, are just great big pussy-cats ! You just treat them with a great deal more respect.

I've evn been inside the tiger enclosure at Woburn to do a photo shoot, albeit in a Land-Rover, but with the window open, taking photographs from no more than 8 feet. (I must dig them out !) The sheer wonder and excitement overshadowed any possible fear. Incidently, animals smell fear in the adrenalin you exude when you are scared and will react immediately, in their own defence.
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lonelymom
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by lonelymom »

You are so lucky, JR. I'd love to do things like that, what a wonderful experience!
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by NEILL THE NOTORIOUS »

I don't want to start a new Thread on BATS but -----
Since they are protected creatures, one is not supposed to handle them (In an Emergency I don't care !) or to disturb their roosting areas.

The roof in Anne's Baptist Chapel needed repair, the first part dating from 1815.---but lo ! there were bats about, and there was an awful to-do about them --- the attitude being "Better to let the Chapel fall down, on the Congregation -- than to disturb the little lovelies ! " :x

I believe that the matter was resolved --- the Chapel is still there !

I love Wild Life BUT if it interferes with my own --- I tend to become ruthless ----- Hence there are no Grey Squirrels in my Garden , but lots of Plums and Apples !! :lol:
The Squirrels seem to have died of Lead- Poisoning (Administered through the Ear !) :twisted:
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by Katharine »

What I want to know is did Tim ever write the article about spiders that started this fascinating thread?
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by Fjgrogan »

I was beginning to wonder about that myself! Re squirrels - our vicar, who is a keen botanist, used to keep a catapult on his study windowsill to scare off marauding squirrels; he was a good enough shot to frighten them without actually injuring them. The same skill sometimes came in useful for hanging banners in church - first fire a nylon line by catapult over the rafters, then attach a heavier thread to hang the banner from!
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Re: SPIDERS!!!

Post by J.R. »

lonelymom wrote:You are so lucky, JR. I'd love to do things like that, what a wonderful experience!

You haven't lived until you've been close enough to a tiger relaxing on a raised platform after breakfast to be able to actually smell his breath as he trys to catch your sent !
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
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