SPIDERS!!!

[Fjgrogan]

Conversely, I find greenfly far prettier than ladybirds, even though they wreak havoc with the roses! We seem to be operating a slug and snail sanctuary here. Is it my imagination, or have slugs quadrupled in size over recent years? And how can a slug trail start and finish in the middle of my kitchen floor with no obvious point of entry or exit?

[Ajarn Philip]

And how can a slug trail start and finish in the middle of my kitchen floor with no obvious point of entry or exit?

It was plucked from your garden by a hungry bird which inadvertently flew into your kitchen. When said avian found itself trapped it became confused, dropped the slug and proceeded to bump headlong into the window pane several times (hence the phrase "in a flap"). When the pea-brained twit eventually cottoned on to the open kitchen door, it started to fly out, remembered the takeaway for the kids, scooped up the slug (which had by now meandered at least 6 inches across the floor) and vamoosed.

[lonelymom]

Well done, Philip. Mystery solved.

[lonelymom]

OMG! A massive-smassive spider just ran across my living room floor! First I went into shock, then I felt sick, then I realised if it got away I wouldn't be able to come in the front room again for weeks, so I threw the only thing that was at-hand - ermmm, this laptop! Well, it's still working anyway

[englishangel]

OOOPS

[sejintenej]

OMG! A massive-smassive spider just ran across my living room floor! First I went into shock, then I felt sick, then I realised if it got away I wouldn't be able to come in the front room again for weeks, so I threw the only thing that was at-hand - ermmm, this laptop! Well, it's still working anyway

We get a few of those tiny ones with legs an inch and a half long (total width 3 inches and more). Worse we get long thin things with perhaps a hundred legs - not your normal centipede but equally nasty looking.

Resetting some slabs on sand this afternoon I found a small snake under a slab as I lifted it. There is quite a variety of snakes here and this one had very different colouring to any of the photos*; I guess it was closest to being a grass snake but I was not going to chance it being something else

* Dark olive with two yellow circles - one on each side of the diamond shaped head. This was about 7 inches long, thinner than a pencil - often grass snakes are 24 inches plus and fat but safe.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Almost cetrainlly a young Grass Snake the yellow spots eitjer side of the head reassuri ng
No Hassle --- ratrher pretty things and quite harmless ---- wish we had more !

[J.R.]

Our garden is absolutely SWAMPED in spiders at the moment.

Some are quite large and have the most beautiful yellow and black striped legs.

Lucky we both don't mind 'em !

[Fjgrogan]

There was one sitting on our front door recently just next to the lock. It had a skin rather like an alligator. It was there for several days, but when I finally remembered to get something to remove it with (the Betta Bug Katcha!) I discovered that it had vanished, but where to?

[lonelymom]

There was one sitting on our front door recently just next to the lock. It had a skin rather like an alligator. It was there for several days, but when I finally remembered to get something to remove it with (the Betta Bug Katcha!) I discovered that it had vanished, but where to?

Inside the lock? From there it can go in and out of your house at it's leisure

[Fjgrogan]

Aaaaagh! I hadn't thought of that one. I wonder if that is why the key is getting more and more difficult to use; I actually had to ring the doorbell recently for my husband to let me in.

[lonelymom]

Sell up and move! Now! Quickly!

[Fjgrogan]

I wish - as my mother frequently said 'Chance would be a fine thing!'

[lonelymom]

You can come and stay with me until the danger has passed

[midget]

Our car is usually covered in webs, particularly round the wing mirrors. The little brutes also have a habit of slinging a web across the back door at a height that just catches me at eye level. If only I were taller!