What meteorological phenomenon (phenomena) affects you this day ?

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

GAAAAAAAAAAA !!!!! :shudder:

(just so you know, i don't kill spiders though.)

I don't kill them either - unless they attack first! Then it's self defense.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I don't kill them either - unless they attack first! Then it's self defense.

when it comes to spiders, in my opinion, the best defense is running away really fast.

in an emergency, i have been known to call for help from total strangers, but i wouldn't let them kill the nightmare creature either.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

dear GOD tom what is wrong with you ???????


and in the name of squirrels and all that is holy PLEASE warn me the next time you're going to post a terrifying photo like that !!!! i need a good stiff drink now to get over that, i'm going to be jumping and looking over my shoulder for days.

:sheesh:

I drove you to drink and you're upset? Cripes! W.C. Fields would have thanked me!

[pshrynk]

It looks like spring may be here. The glacier in front of my north facing door has melted about two and a half weeks earlier than last year (1 Apr).

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I drove you to drink and you're upset? Cripes! W.C. Fields would have thanked me!

i said i *needed* one, i didn't say i took one ! antibiotics means no drink for me.

Originally Posted by pshrynk

It looks like spring may be here. The glacier in front of my north facing door has melted about two and a half weeks earlier than last year (1 Apr).

woohoo !!! spring ! enjoy it !

[happy_terd]

It is suppose to get to 77 degrees today.

[kennyc]

60+ here! Yeah!

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

For some reason (pheromones, malignant deities, negative Karma balance) I attract spiders. Or, spiders are attracted to me - but not in a good way.
...

You may wish to seek some advice when you visit Oz (treatments, area/place avoidance, nearest hospitals).

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

You know those huge garden spiders we have in our neck of the woods, AKA "writing" spiders (so-called because of the design in the midst of their web that looks like handwriting)? As a kid, I would let them crawl all over me, spinning webs as they went. Why did they do that? I was obviously too big to capture! Did they hope to secure me for a later meal?
...

We have similar garden spiders here. The Loved One is not impressed by them but, as with the geckos and wasps and hornets and mantises and such, I remind him of the reason we have so few flies and mosquitoes. I remember seeing a couple of years ago a news article of one feasting on a small bird caught in its web.

As children, me and a friend would take Huntsman Spiders to school in our lunchboxes and play with them during the breaks by letting them crawl on our hands (which they were often as big as), arms and so on. They're a large, flattish, crab-like spider you can see in the link above (at "Huntsman Spiders") - hunters, as per the name, rather than webmakers.

Umm, weather...

Well the weeks have been filled with "A few showers" to "Rain" (there was one 24hr period we had 180mm/7" during, which is more like the summer rain we'd been expecting since late last year). At the moment, we're getting "a few showers" between sunny patches, about 25-26C/77-79F during the day, and it's even occasionally dropping below 20C/68F overnight.

The main bit of weather news is Tropical Cyclone Ului, which is hanging some distance off our coast, but currently predicted to possible hit somewhere on the central Queensland coast over the weekend (by which time it, of course, may have become just a tropical low too).

So, probably rain again (and big waves maybe).

Cheers,
Marc

[Katti's Cat]

Good tip for poohbear there Mont. Lots of nasties around - and unfortunately the smaller the meaner. As Girl growing up in Germany I was (and still am) not used to check everything for spiders in the garden. Had 4 Redback bites so far. Nasty, ouch, hurt - but sends me into weird dreams every time.

Not too fond of huntsmen - they jump don't they?Anyhow they are too big for my taste. But I do love the Golden Cane - spins a beatuiful net that glows golden in the sun.

Some of the spiders are real beautiful - I have even overcome my disgust of them with the help of my camera - you gotta get rather close to get a nice shot. Even got a series of one of the bigger ones catching a bug in the net and spinning it into cocoon.

Weather is weird -warmish but very windy. Not sure if that is already due to the Cyclone hoovering somewhere north of the coast or just the weather.

[kennyc]

It's to be almost 70F today! And snow in the forecast for Friday.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

... We have similar garden spiders here. The Loved One is not impressed by them but, as with the geckos and wasps and hornets and mantises and such, I remind him of the reason we have so few flies and mosquitoes. I remember seeing a couple of years ago a news article of one feasting on a small bird caught in its web.

As children, me and a friend would take Huntsman Spiders to school in our lunchboxes and play with them during the breaks by letting them crawl on our hands (which they were often as big as), arms and so on. They're a large, flattish, crab-like spider you can see in the link above (at "Huntsman Spiders") - hunters, as per the name, rather than webmakers. ...

I'd like to get a tarantula, but my wife put her foot down firmly on that idea. No doubt if I got one anyway, she'd put her foot down even firmer!

Just as well. The tiny, irritating hairs on many species can be extremely dangerous. A few years ago, the local newspaper reported that a child in our area was blinded after handling a tarantula and then rubbing his eyes.

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Umm, weather...

Yes. We're having some today.

Mostly good. Chilly start, warming to the 60s. Tomorrow is predicted to be in the 70s.

[GeoffC]

Sunny but breezy....

[me thinks this thread ought to be renamed "What meteorological and chelicerate arthropodic phenomenon (phenomena) affects you this day!"]

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Sunny but breezy....

[me thinks this thread ought to be renamed "What meteorological and chelicerate arthropodic phenomenon (phenomena) affects you this day!"]

Yes - I think that is a fine idea. As the weather warms up here I'll be reporting on future encounters I'll be having with the wonderful world of aggressive arthropods. If you're really lucky I'll enclose pics of the bite wounds - they can get quite colorful! If I stop posting abruptly, trebuchet cans of Raid!

[poohbear_nc]

Oh - and we're having weather here too. Ice on the windshield this morning. In the 70's this afternoon - spring in the Carolinas!

[poohbear_nc]

You may wish to seek some advice when you visit Oz (treatments, area/place avoidance, nearest hospitals).

I've seen some Discovery Channel shows on your wonderfully colorful and deadly 8-legged inhabitants. I had to turn them off - esp. after they showed a spider that flattened itself into the D-ring opening in the handle of a garden trowel - waiting to attack!