Big A$$ Spiders of Australia

Let me preface this post by saying that I HATE SPIDERS. I don't mean, that I don't like them, or get kind of funny if the poisonous kind are, say, sleeping on the pillow next to me. I mean, that I HATE SPIDERS. Passionately. Unequivocably. HATE. Them.

And now I've moved to Australia....which has to be The Spider Capital of the World. The other night (prior to the Big Chopstar Adoption of 2008) JL and I were walking the dog and I happened to walk into the most mammoth spider web ever. Seriously. I think I got whiplash. It was like walking into a tuna net! And then we saw the spider! Which was the size of Mohammad Ali's fist! This spider could have eaten the dog....and still wanted dessert. Luckily I got her out of there in time, but it was a very close call.

So, I thought since I have to suffer....so should you all....

Both of these spiders live in my garden....freaking fantastic.....





This lovely fellow got into bed with me one morning!



I don't know WHAT this is but WTF!


And THIS guy lives only in Sydney....and is crazy poisonous....lucky lucky me....

But I do have to say that I have been getting much better since moving here. The other morning there was a Daddy Long Legs in the shower with me and I only screamed for 5 minutes or so before calmly (read: frantically, desperately) washing it down the drain. I was so proud I took the day off the diet (see earlier "Fatty Fatty Two by Four" post) and went and had a plaque made ("Worlds Finest Spider Wrangler"). Yeehaw.