Aracnophobics look away!

I know I keep mentioning it - but this time of year is just perfect weather in Brisbane.

It's ideal for walking as you don't have the blazing sun on your head.

However, the spiders are out! 

We decided to go for a walk last week just down by the creek, and this is what we saw...dare you to join me?

Golden Orb,  Brisbane



A common species of local spider is the Golden Orb Weaver.

The males are very small so the ones that we saw guarding their webs were female. Their abdomens were probably about 3-4 cm, but they looked so much larger...Fortunately they are non-venomous.

Golden Orb, Brisbane



One advantage of large spiders is that you can see them whilst walking.

The Golden Orb Weavers have pretty spectacular webs too. It's a really strong web and I have had the very unfortunate experience of walking straight through one. Well, actually walking through isn't quite correct...I got tangled and bounced back! They often weave their webs just at head height so you have to be on the lookout. When you see local walkers ducking for no apparent reason they've spotted one!

Golden Orb, Brisbane



When the sun catches the web it's easy to see how these spiders got their name.

As it was a glorious Autumn afternoon, the sun was just perfect for taking photos.

The next photo is my favourite (If you can have a favourite spider photo!)

and shows off the gold colour of the weave perfectly.



Golden Orb and web, Brisbane



This particular walk was taking quite a bit longer than planned as I was stopping every few metres to take photos. Those spiders were everywhere!

Golden Orb, Brisbane



Some of us weren't quite so enthralled with the spiders...

and decided that messing around on the scooter was much more fun. That is until a tumble occured.

Quick cuddle, kiss it better and we were off again.

All back to normal this week as the Easter school holidays are over.

We have had a lovely couple of weeks just slowing down the pace of life and catching up.

Dilemas

Two pieces of advice needed...

The first is some girly hair talk.

I'm now at that age where I'm questioning the length of my hair! You know that certain decade....?

When I was little I was the child that they modelled those cabbage patch dolls on!

I had very short, very curly, very red hair. Think Annie and you're on the right track!

In order to keep some sort of control over my 'do' it was kept short at all times.

Then when I became a bit more independent and started paying for my own haircuts

I decided it was my time to have longer locks.

After growing my hair for about five years it was just about touching my shoulders,

and that's were it would stay....not a centimetre longer.

Fast forward some more years and pregnancy did funny things.

 My hair changed colour, texture and interestingly began to grow at an alarming rate.

These days my 'natural' colour is a dark brown, there is hardly any curl and my hair is long. 

I don't spend hours preening and apart from the fact that it can take a long time to dry,

on the whole it's pretty easy.

Some days though I feel that I'm drowning in hair!

I can admire the long flowing tresses of others but wonder how long they take to get out of the house?

So....do I take the plunge? Go for the chop?

Will my past allow me?

???

Now onto another piece of advice...

Do I let on to my parents that this was on the outside door of their bedroom last night?!

Will they be on the next flight back to Wales?

Here come the spiders...

I warned you that I would be showing some local spiders...




Golden Orbs at Roma Street park Feb 2011

 

Whilst the lizards here are a source of fascination, the spiders are another story. We appear to be in spider season, (if there is such a thing?) and at the moment every corner I turn there's a huge golden orb in my track.

They take great pleasure in spinning their webs just a fraction above eye level across your walkway, and I swear they do it overnight! These things are huge! I'm not kidding when I tell you that you can bounce back from a golden orb web! Thankfully they are pretty harmless as far as Australian spiders go.
On our walk to school recently we counted 44 golden orb spiders...and that was just in three trees. They were in an enormous web suspended between the trees and an overhead power line...a little village of spiders.



the spider village...
not a great photo, but it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about




Golden Orbs at Moffat beach Feb 2011


No spider post would be complete without a quick mention of the ever present huntsman. He's been a little quiet lately, but husband reported a sighting in the study last week. If golden orb spiders are huge, these things are monsters...! We are talking the size of an adult hand here! We have a hunstman lodger, he's so big he almost needs his own bedroom! You can read more here, here and here.

our resident huntsman

Fortunately we have avoided any encounter with dangerous and venomous spiders. However many stories you will read or hear, coming face to face with one is pretty rare - you just have be vigilant. We check closed in shoes that have been left outside or not been worn for a while and keep a lookout when in the garden or on a walk. Sibs and I once spotted a couple of redbacks hiding in a metal road barrier. Once seen, you will never mistake a redback for another spider. They were actually smaller than I expected, but very distinctive, an we gave them a wide berth!



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So that's a little introduction to some of our arachnid neighbours...
 but please don't let this spider talk put anyone off from visiting....if I can live here... !

Is there anything else you'd like to know more about? Something less squeamish?

Cheers to 2011

 Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Happy New Year!

We celebrated in style last night...with some hot chocolate, Christmas cake and cookies!

Brisbane weather very kindly decided to be summery yesterday and we enjoyed a rare day of sunshine and dry clear skies. So last night we joined a few hundred people and ventured up the mountain behind our house to get a glimpse of the early firework display in the city. The first 'family friendly' fireworks are at 8.30pm so the children get to 'stay up late' and welcome in the new year. We watched the display and then toasted the new year with a thermos of hot chocolate with melted marshmallows. I swear I have never tasted such good hot chocolate - it even rivaled our trip to the Lindt cafe in Sydney!

Sibs got a bit spooked by the rustling in the grass and the bushes and was imagining all sorts of creepy creatures, so she hopped in to the boot of the car to enjoy her drink.

Talking of creepy creatures, let me share these beauties. I have seen a Blue Tongue lizard on our driveway a few times during the last few months, but I never have the camera with me. A couple of days ago I happened to have the camera in my hand when Sibs shouted that she had seen a snake! On closer inspection the snake had legs...and became a lizard. Unfortunately I didn't capture the blue forked tongue, but here he/she is trying to hide from the lens.

Our other creepy creature that we came across this week was a mole cricket. This is a bit like a cockroach except uglier! It had decided to have a bit of a splash in the pool and was rescued by brave husband. Rescued, meaning thrown out very quickly!

Guess what? The huntsman just won't leave!! The other night in those precious moments when everyone is in bed, the whole house is quiet and I get my five minutes of catching up on the news events of the day I spotted it. It was stealthily venturing from one side of the room to the other - yuck. The cat actually saw it first and tried to protect me of course! She excitedly jumped on the back of the sofa and warned it away...but this huntsman has no fear!



not the best shot, but check out the size?!

When  I pointed the camera at it (from a reasonable distance) I pressed the button and the red eye flash activated and I got to see its two big eyes. I nearly dropped my camera!!

It's a persistent little horror. I'm guessing it's the same visitor as before that's been sucked up the vacuum cleaner, had half a can of fly spray over it, been put in the dustbin, spotted in the garage and now this...
If it's not the same one I want my money back from the pest control man!

So I started by wishing everyone a Happy New Year and I've been waffling on about the Australian creepies...

Back to good wishes -  I wish everyone health, happiness and dreams come true time for 2011

iechyd da, cheers!

 

More rain, more carols, more spiders!

Another Saturday of rain here...this is getting beyond a joke!

Husband and daughter went off to the markets early this morning as per usual and fortunately just before the rain returned. We had quite a spectacular storm a couple of days ago - it was eerily pitch dark at 2pm. It's very strange weather at the moment, as when the rain does give us a break the temperature can rise to 30+ degrees! It's been duvet on, duvet off the bed and switching between cardigans to keep warm and air con to cool down!

Plans for this evening were carols at the local park. This was 'third time lucky'...

So we got prepared - rain coats and umbrellas at the ready and off we went.

  

not sure about the footwear girls!

 We listened patiently to the warm up band and got a bit muddy scrambling for the sweets that Santa was throwing from the stage. Sibs and her friend managed to catch quite a substantial amount as they seemed to be chewing away for most of the night! Funny that they didn't want any supper either....


at least it was easy to clean...

 

front row seats

 

and down came the rain...again

 We sang all the old favourites and then the finale was the firework display. I whipped out my new camera, set it onto "fireworks mode" and snapped away. I missed quite a few and have great shots of.....black sky! These are a few of the ones that I managed to capture.

 

Just to finish off the night, we called in on some friends who decorate their home with the most amazing Christmas lights. People travel from all over to see them. It takes six weekends, yes six weekends to set it up. 

  

Wearily we arrived home and there in the garage to greet us was this...

is this our old 'friend' the huntsman?

I have a nasty suspicion that it's the same spider from the other day come to seek revenge for being sucked up the vacuum cleaner! That story is here (The pest man and the spider) should you wish to find out more. I closed the door securely and am keeping everything crossed that he remembers the vacuum cleaner incident and chooses to stay well away from inside the house!



The pest man and the huntsman

Look away now if you're squeamish about insects, spiders and creepy crawlies!

   

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Today was our annual pest and termite inspection.

One of the joys of living in Australia is that you get to share this wonderful country with many a creepy crawly!  As our house is predominantly timber we have decided on 'better safe than sorry' and fork out the necessary $$$ to be checked yearly for the dreaded termite.  We also get a spray of something magical that keeps the spiders and cockroaches where they should be - out of my house!



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When we purchased our house, part of the contract included a pest inspection and report, and when I read what could be found I was horrified. If left to their own devices, these little horrors can literally eat away the timber of your home and turn it to dust!

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So pest man came, tapped around, peeked in every nook and cranny and gave the good news - "nothing to report" (phew)....well nothing expect the biggest huntsman spider that I have EVER seen. Even pest man was impressed. I got the camera out to take a photo, but it was just too big to get close. Pest man tried the flip flop (thongs if you're Australian) method, but the darn thing was too quick and hid behind the glass cabinet. In the end we vacuumed him up (spider, not pest man!!).

'Papa' was then tasked with taking the vacuum cleaner apart to check and get rid of the spider. Half an hour and half a can of insect spray later we think it's gone...but I'll be checking under the bed tonight!



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The day the nation stops....for a horse race!

Yesterday was Melbourne Cup Day here.

I think this warrants a bit of an explanation to my non Aussie friends....



Melbourne cup day 2009



Melbourne cup day 2008



















Melbourne cup day 2010
(Sibs was sick yesterday and had only
her 2nd ever day off school)

 The Melbourne Cup is a horse race....and yes, the nation does actually stop for this horse race. If you live in the metropolitan area of Melbourne and some parts of regional Victoria, you actually get a day off  - fancy that? Even up here in sunny Queensland everything stopped for a long lunch. As I drove home from work yesterday afternoon, it was a bit carnival like with balloons outside shops and people in their glad rags. There was even a very smart gentleman in a three piece tweed suit, carnation in his button hole, carrying a cane!

My introduction to this day was this story. On Melbourne Cup day in 2005 (my first year in Aus) there was quite a large spider crawling around the window in my (rental house) bedroom. I picked up the nearest shoe, thwacked the spider and spider and shoe went through the pane of glass!! I calmly picked up the phone, tried to call umpteen glaziers and after a while got through to a mobile number. The slurred voice at the end of the phone said

"You have no idea what day it ish do you?"
" Umm...Tuesday?"
"It'sh Melbourne Cup Day....no-one worksh thish afternoon. Patch it up I'll be there in the morning!"

The following afternoon he came to fix the window and told me all about the day that stops the nation.

As I'm a bit of a history lover, I thought that I would share with you some facts about the Melbourne Cup.

• it's the richest and most prestigious two mile handicap horse race in the world
• it's held on the first Tuesday of November
• the first Melbourne Cup was held in 1861 (a long time ago in modern Australian history)
• this year the total prize money was AUD$6 million
• the winner got $3.3million, with 85% going to the owner of the horse, 10% to the trainer and 5% to the jockey......what about the poor horse??
• lots of people get really dressed up and have parties.
• school kids even get involved, and at Sibs's school they dress up as jockeys or as ladies who go to the races!

(Most of the above facts were taken from Wikipedia)

So if you were part of the festivities in Australia, I hope you had a good afternoon and maybe some winnings? My horse came in unlucky 13th :( 

Maybe next year?