On a recent trip to the Snowy Mountains – in the Australian ‘Alps’…
Woken by my wife in the wee-small hours, whilst she was feeding our sleepless youngest. A HUGE huntsman spider was ambling across the ceiling, right above the bed containing herself and sleepless offspring.
It was so large that every time it moved it made an audible sound with its footfalls. It would then stop and suck the ends of its legs/feet/whatever-it-has.
My wife isn’t much bothered by spiders, but this had her wigged out.
Squashing it never occurred to us. Just as squashing a mouse doesn’t seem like the way forward either.
Having previously caught spiders in an upturned glass and then slid a sheet of paper underneath, I usually set them outside. But in this case only the fruit bowl had a sufficient diameter. And there was only A4 paper to hand. I had to tape two together. The catching was easy, but the paper gaped when I carried the bowl to the door – and the bowl, paper, spider and my good humour were flung outside into the night with a crash.
Wife and offspring were quickly asleep once the ‘danger’ had passed. I lay in bed for a very long time, totally pumped up and unable to sleep. Yay. Holidays out in the long-grassed darkness!