A joke is a joke but this time you have gone too far. Just what the fuck is this and why was it in my laundry room? It is big, and red and very hairy.
Can you give me a good reason not to shoe it?
The "Hey we are all Gods creatures and it'd be murder" doesn't cut it as I've just enjoyed a beef curry and poor old daisy was an innocent too but tasted damn fine thank you very much.
Don't try the "It's OK to kill to eat; you have to live Man" as I'll BBQ spidey and feed him to the birds.
Th clock is ticking.....and the shoe is ready.
Kill it with my blessing.
ReplyDeleteSurvival of the fittest and all that.
It looks to me like some kind of tunnel web spider, of which there are a few in Wellington. They give nasty bites but aren't mortally poisonous.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a red one before though, that's very impressive. When I get home I'll look it up in my spider reference book.
JESUS CHRIST!
ReplyDeleteYikes I first thought it was a plastic novelty jobbie, then the reality struck!
ReplyDeleteCripes!
Spidey survived the night as Ms R seems to have no fear (unlike me) and is quite happy for the brute to be sitting in his (or her) pot. I can't bring myself to squash it as it is quite spectacular.......
ReplyDeleteOk, according to my spider tome it's probably a male Porrhothele antipodiana that has wandered inside looking for some loving (which, poor sod, he not going to find unless he is a masochist and a shoe-fetishist). They construct silken tunnels under loose rocks and the like (we have quite a few in our woodpile, and one appears to have taken residence in one of Bella's boots at the back door).
ReplyDeleteMainly they eat small insects, but a Wellington araneologist has observed them catching and eating snails. Apparently they just bite hard, the snail tries to pull back into it's shell and the spider just hangs on...
"Finally, after the snail ceased to resist, the spider pulled its limp body partly out of the shell and embarked on a feeding binge often lasting up to 15 hours."
Nice one.
Hey, speaking of Spiders, that new Spiderman trailer looks pretty good.
Oh my good God I am going to vomit. It's shoe for dinner tonight my furry friend......Haven't seen the Spiderman trailer yet - I guess it's over on Google Video so I'll go take a look now.
ReplyDeleteAlan, you'll be pleased to know that Spidey lives....assuming he survived the flight from the deck into the trees below and I'm sure I heard a little "wheeeeeeee" as he happily travelled through the air. Interestingly, my irrational fear appears to have abated somewhat, despite the snail story, although I'm a long way from liking the hairy the little buggers.
ReplyDeleteHi Brena, great to see you are still sniffing the edges of blogdom - hope Kylie and family are rocking good; I miss your smoothe and fruity ways.
Hey Noizy, hope you don't live in Khandallah 'cause he's now loose and a bit pissed since I flicked him off the deck.
Sorry Martha, I just couldn't do it. Wooss I know but I had bad dreams of a giant Nike coming to get me.....
I'm impressed. Of all spiders, they are the least cuddly, so it's nice that you didn't kill it outright...
ReplyDeleteWell good on you. I couldn't have killed it myself, but I certainly wouldn't have judged you harshly if you had. In fact I would have been quite admiring.
ReplyDeleteTruth is I felt better flicking it out of the pot than actually trying to squish it.....could've escaped, run up my leg and.....
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! - That thing is real? At first I was like that has to be a plastic toy!
ReplyDeleteSorry for not visting your blog in awhile! How are things going with you?
Hey Pinky,
ReplyDeleteGood to see you here! All is well in the Reasonable Household. Interesting to see on your blog that you are going to be working on the InterIslander - will it be in December which is when we usually head over to Nelson....
A couple of years ago while I was still living in Dunedin I came across one of these. It was sitting next to my suitcase after I just spent a week in Aussie. Naturally, I freaked out and thought I had bought some ultra-poisonous spider into the country.
ReplyDeleteI ended up getting it in a jar and then went down to the museum. Someone there identified it and relieved me hugely by letting me know it was a local. It is a tunnel-web spider and is apparently related to the Sydney funnel-web spider. Although, it isn't poisonous (it will hurt if it bites you though) and is a very shy spider.
Very rarely will they come inside, usually only while they're trying to find a mate or some food. Remember, they're much more afraid of you rather than the other way around.
Cool find...
Oh, man! I thought that thing was a plastic toy too! Vicious looking thing! The closest 'laundry room story' I have is a raccoon who refused to give way.
ReplyDeleteI was on my way to the laundry room in my apartment building, the door of which is an exterior door on a dark, back sidewalk. I come around the corner and there sits the largest raccoon I've seen in a coon's age. (with apologies) I figure, ok... I'm still bigger than him, if I move towards him, he'll get scared and run off.
Nope... didn't budge an inch. Just stared me down and said in a deep growly voice, "You tryin' to start sumfin?"
Glad to see the 'blog's doing well Mr. Reasonable! I'm *finally* back to mine after becoming addicted to World of Warcraft, realizing just how much it was affecting my life, and deciding the best course was to quit playing. I've been WoW clean for a month now. ;-) It's disturbing just how addicting that game can become.
Anyway... this is becoming too long a comment... Take it easy!
Cheers Johnny-Johnny!
ReplyDeleteHi Lucius, glad you kicked your addiction! Haven't played WoW but wonder if you can really make money out of it?
We need all the help we can get in the war against snails!!
ReplyDeleteFuck, glad I haven't seen one of 'em though!
It still gives me the shivers.....it didn't help to watch Arachnophobia the othe night - they were small by comparison, gulp.
ReplyDeleteOMG, that was a little spider..
ReplyDelete