52 Weeks of Me: Outside (and other stuff)

Having finally got my camera back, I find myself completely out of the habit of taking photos. Nevertheless, with this week's '52 Weeks of Me' prompt in mind, I sat in the carpark of a local park and snapped myself 'Outside'.
I had just dropped the BA off at a party and the temp was in the high 20s. She insisted I walk down to the picnic spot with her and, as I had no sun hat, I reached into the back seat to utilise the only thing I had to hand, her school hat. Once she was delivered to her party I came back up to the carpark and sat on the gutter savouring the cool breeze before getting back into my stiflingly hot car (note to self: get air conditioning fixed). It was a delightful few minutes 'Outside'.

It was a long weekend here in Adelaide, celebrating nothing more edifying than a horse race.
Himself was disgusted.
"This has got to be the lamest public holiday in Australia!" he ranted.
"Come now," I suggested,"what about the Queen's birthday? Surely you can't approve of that holiday?"
"At least that's historic," he countered, surprising me once more with his fundamentally conservative nature. For a man who has worked at the forefront of the arts, wears his hair (what's left of it) long and is proud of the T shirts he designed in the 70s which read 'If It's Too Loud You're Too Old", he  exhibits some incredibly 'unhippy' -like values.
"At least she's our Head of State," he continued, "this is just a horse race!"
"What about the Melbourne Cup?" I cast out and reeled.
"At least the whole country is interested in that!" he exclaimed,"unlike this one, where 98% of the local population don't even know what we're celebrating!!!!!"
He does have a point. But who am I to argue with a long weekend? Lord knows with the incredibly 'full on' start to the school year, we could all do with a break.

The Baby Angel had a full calendar of events lined up for her weekend. She was little disappointed that tickets for the Womadelaide Festival were beyond her means. She was particularly disappointed when not only did her boyfriend attend all three days without her, but Boy Z was in the crowd with his father (at the tender age of 4!). She did not want for  entertainment however.

On Friday afternoon we commenced the hunt for the Formal Dress, had her hair cut and shared a pizza dinner before dropping her off for a sleepover at a friend's house. The following morning I picked her up ready to continue the Formal Dress Quest. At around 5pm we found the one I described here: this is my 'artist's impression'. The underskirt is actually the same colour as the overskirt ...

That night the two of us watched Eddie Izzard together as she practised face painting for her Research project. Life has surely calmed down since last year.

So what was Himself doing as I had quality time with my BA? Well, the only up side of my ruined shoulder is that Himself has become a little more proactive around the garden. On Saturday, in perfect Adelaide weather (27C) he worked his b*** off in the front garden. These are his pruning and lawn mowing efforts.
 Amidst this sterling work we had a brief and heated conversation regarding the watering system. I have recently turned it off as a) it is autumn and b) we had a $960.00 water bill!!!!  Himself suggested, perhaps fairly, that I should have let him know as the grass is now a little 'crunchy'.

 Meanwhile, the downside of my ruined shoulder is my slackness on the house keeping front. This photo was taken in the family room at mid-afternoon. I am torn between shame and awe at the amazing work spiders do.

If only I could channel their efforts usefully!

Spider Poop: myth or reality?

Why does no one in my family believe me? I will tell you why not! because none of them ever do any CLEANING!!!!!!

My husband and beloved sister have been laughing themselves silly over my random comment that I am less scared of spiders nowadays, I just hate the mess they make.
"Mess?" inquired Middle Sis, confused.
"Yes, webs everywhere, collecting dust, and all the spider crap on the skirting boards..."
Her hysteria was somewhat unkind I thought.
Disbelieving, she approached Himself.
"Sis says spiders crap everywhere. is this true?"
"WHAT?" exclaimed my ever supportive husband."Spider crap? Yea...right!"

I was nonplussed. Surely everyone is aware of the mess spiders make under an established web? Since the whole house was in uproar anyway, I located a small remaining pile (I have been cleaning a bit as we go) and called her over. Her deep belly laughs were NOT the response I had anticipated.
"That's not spider crap!!!" she guffawed.
(And how would she know anyway since she does not believe it exists!!?????)
"Of course it is, what else is it????" I protested.

She was unable to offer a plausible explanation for the effect but refused to be convinced that spiders do, in fact, crap!!!! I mean! They are LIVING ORGANISMS!!!!

Now, Himself and Sis keep making snide little comments whenever I am around.
Me: Where did I put the x?
Himself: I dunno, maybe it's near the 'spider crap'. (huge wink at Middle Sis)

So, I ask you blog world. Who out there believes in spider crap? Clap your hands if you do!!!!Exhibit A) the back of a shelf (which has been put back the wrong way around) which has been the recipient of some spider's excreta for some time it seems.....

Heatwave 3

The widget says 34C ( at 6.40pm) but it feels hotter than that INSIDE!

I guess there's a point where the evaporative cooler becomes inefficient. Maybe our pads need cleaning.....?

Oh and yesterday I killed a scorpion in the front hall and a redback spider the size of a walnut in the porch. Gross.

Did I mention heat brings out the bugs :-(

Off to get into the pool and let the BA onto the computer so she can plan her weekend. What a social butterfly. Think it might involve being in an air conditioned movie theatre!

Why You Should Never Put Patio Furniture in the Pool

Because spiders live under the furniture. I am now off to google how long redbacks can survive under water.

NB: We fished both chairs out and killed one BIG redback but the other chair was in longer and there was debate as to whether there was another spider on it while it was under water. There wasn't when it was salvaged. Is it in the pool somewhere????????????????????

NaBloPoMo #8: The Gardener.

Oh I am so disappointed by the quality of these scans. This picture is to die for in real life! I don't know whether it's her little hat, her frilly T shirt, her soft frilly shorts with the huge nappy underneath? Is it her bare feet? Her wheel barrow or the look on her face as she is sprung trying to behead an agapanthas??? This was such a special summer. The previous year she had been brand new and the heat (even in the UK) did not treat us well what with breast feeding and night feeds. Houses in the UK have no air conditioning and are not designed to promote through breezes. In a hot summer they are stuffy and when you leave windows open, bugs come in. And spiders Brittany!! BIG spiders. Try realising at 4am as you finish a feed that there is a palm sized monster trooping across the bedroom floor! You stifle the overwhelming urge to scream (there are after all others asleep in the house....did I mention that I lived with Mum and dad for the first 18 months?) and tiptoe across the bed (can't put your feet on the floor cos it might get you) to put the baby in her basket, then search the room for an appropriate weapon. You spot an encyclopedia of jungle animals (my mother has kept every book we ever owned) and bravely snatch it off the shelf. Meanwhile the monster has disappeared under your desk. Ever so carefully you place your feet upon the floor and peer under the desk. It peers back at you, cunningly wedged in between the side of the desk and the carpet. In one swift move you thrust the encyclopedia under the desk whacking it repeatedly against the side of the upright section so that the sorry spider is mangled into a plethora of smears and stray limbs. You then leave it there to crisp up for a couple of days before asking someone else to vacuum it up.

Meanwhile, your sister, who is staying for the weekend, appears at the bedroom door. The thumping (and involuntary grunts of eeew eeew) have awoken her next door. Upon discovering what has happened, she goes next door and gets her husband to swap beds with her as she has been camping on a mattress on the floor!!!! :-D He's such a laid back chap. He never complains.

That was the first summer. The second summer was much better. The night feeds were over, she was mobile and entertaining; a real little character. She loved her paddling pool and sliding down the climbing frame slide into the water.

Maybe one more summer shot tomorrow before we head into Autumn 1996.

Arachnaphobia

This one is totally for you Brittany.

Last night I snuck off to bed a little later than Himself and had to feel my way around in the dark looking for the alarm clock which needed resetting. (no, it didn't go off this morning...why does that always happen when you set the alarm in the dark?)

Anyway, after stumbling about a bit, getting the clock sorted (supposedly) I snuggled down and gave that big sigh you give when you finally make it to bed and its where you would rather spend the next day than getting up and going to work. After a few seconds I felt a tickle on my arm, under the covers. Scratching and brushing at it I encountered more substance than I would normally feel from a piece of hair, thread or fluff. Panic sets in, I snatch and claw at the offending tickle, waking Himself up in the process.

"What on earth is the matter?"
"There's something in the bed...I think it was crawly."
"Was it on your side?"
"Yes.."
"Good."
"Can I please turn on the light and check what's happened to it?" (actually this was not so much a question as a warning that I was about to blind him)

Initial investigations seemed clear and then I threw back the covers and, crumpled in between the sideboard (we have a waterbed) and the mattress, was the crushed body of a daddy long legs spider!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And quite a big one!!! I felt no pity. I felt no remorse. I felt only REVULSION and the sickening knowledge that moments ago it had been crawling on my ARM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am still shivering with the thought. Himself helpfully suggested that I had probably brought it to bed with me as they do not normally head under the covers. A comforting thought.... NOT. I managed to flick it out of the bed and then performed a thorough search for any of its mates.
It could have been worse I suppose. It could have been a house spider. (big, black and ugly...nassssty bite)

Himself went back to sleep to the steady rhythm of my convulsions of disgust. (shudder of horror)