SPIDERS!!!

[lonelymom]

The Sundat Times suggests that spiders don't like conkers! If you put small heaps of conkers in places where the little beasts congrgate, they will go away. (Where to?)

I thought that was an old wives tale. Is there really some truth to it, do you think? If so, I'm gonna plant me a conker tree so I can have thousands of conkers in my house!

[midget]

One of the ST journalists claims to have confiscated her daughter's entire hoard of conkers, and has them in heaps stategically placed round the house.

[lonelymom]

Mmmm, I wonder - has anybody ever successfully built an entire house made of conkers, with conker furniture and everything? That could be the answer to all my spider woes!

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Mention of East London, reminds me that there is a notorious Wall in the Docks, which is inhabited by Scorpions, decendants of ones brtought in, by ships and their cargoes, in the past .

I can't see Lonelymom visiting ------ but beware !!!

[sejintenej]

Mention of East London, reminds me that there is a notorious Wall in the Docks, which is inhabited by Scorpions, decendants of ones brtought in, by ships and their cargoes, in the past .

I can't see Lonelymom visiting ------ but beware !!!

When does something which originated abroad become "native"? For example, most hardwood trees such as limes and beeches were originally imported but we think of then as native to the UK. As another example, most of our own ancestors were immigrants at some time or other (1066 in my case!).

The scorpions could perhaps have become naturalised; there is a colony in what was Ongar Tube Station which have been referred to as being the only colony of native scorpions. Soon the mosquitos around Heathrow which have been carrying malaria will cease to die as winters become warmer and become "native". Collar Doves are now common but when the more stateky of us were at school they were a rarity in our cold climate - when will we start to consider them native?.

[lonelymom]

Never!!!! We have enough of our own bugs and birds and stuff, we don't need to start happily accepting nasty things from other countries too! Exterminate them all, that's what I think (I can picture Neill staring incredulously at the screen, lost for words!) The trees can stay though, I like trees!

(By the way, scorpions? Have we really got scorpions in this country? )

[Katharine]

If you ever see a scorpion looking at you - your reaction will be in quite a different order of magnitude from that of seeing a spider, Lonelymom!!

This message is sent to you by one who knows!!

[Angela Woodford]

Last night, I settled down in bed with P D James. Comfortable pillows, pouffed-up duvet.

I'd just got to the bit where the murderer is selecting the extra-sharp knife, fingering its blade, imagining the triumphant vengeful stabbing of the neck of the victim and the consequent spray of hot blerd!

Suddenly, legs appeared over the top of page 69 - long, well-muscled legs - which were followed by the fat squishy body of a huge spider. "Think you're afraid?" it mocked. "Here I am. Now be afraid. Ha ha ha."

I screamed. I flapped P D James about in a panic, but the spider clung on. I threw PD James to the floor, but the menacing creature began to climb the side of the bed. I thumped my pillow to create an offputting draft and it ran away. I seemed to catch a whisper of "I'll be back. Ha ha ha."

It's somewhere in my room. Somewhere.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Angela --- I loved the horror story --- the suspense --- !

I don't suppose you are thinking of a sequel ?

[fra828]

In the minority I know, but I don't mind spiders at all. Flies are MUCH worse!

[J.R.]

Scorpions have been known living in the brickwork of an Essex railway station for years.

Virtually harmless, allegedly !

[Angela Woodford]

[quote="NEILL THE NOTORIOUS"

I don't suppose you are thinking of a sequel ? [/quote]

Well, NEILL, I have tentatively looked around and under things, but can't see my long-legged furry-bodied visitor. I have a horrid feeling that he emerges only by night. Just like the P D James murderer, who has now gained access to his victim's flat and is waiting with the gleaming and lethal blade... I await tonight with sheer terror.

Ha ha ha.

[lonelymom]

Angela, a true horror story! In my house your story would end with a squished spider, and there wouldn't be any need to get to the end and ask 'whodunnit?'

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Well, NEILL, I have tentatively looked around and under things, but can't see my long-legged furry-bodied visitor. I have a horrid feeling that he emerges only by night. Just like the P D James murderer, who has now gained access to his victim's flat and is waiting with the gleaming and lethal blade... I await tonight with sheer terror.

Ha ha ha.

I have been doing a lot of weekend work lately: new building, so shouldn't be scared about being here alone, BUT

the automatic hand drier in the lab goes off when I am in my office (and the only person in the building), and I continually see movement out of the corner of my eye. On a good day I can convince myself that it's just the shadows of planes passing overhead (we are close to and on the flight path for Adelaide Airport), or my own reflection. On a bad day it's like being in the middle of a scene from Don't Look Now.

On Sunday the shadow was not fleeting, but relatively stationary and close to my right shoulder (although, on the other side of the glass wall of the office). I slowed my breathing, carried on typing, all the while telling myself that it was just a plane going over; then turned my head to find a colleague grabbing a drink from the esky on the lunch room floor.

I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or yell at her for not letting me know that she was in the building

xx

[J.R.]

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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