EIGHT LEGGED FRIEND OR FOE

Ours was a baby, about this size.  However, I hear they can be larger!  YIKES!

Australia in addition to its beauty is full of wild animals and creepy crawly things.  Many of them are poisonous, threatening human life, but many are NOT.  I am not really a person that loves creepy crawly anything whether it threatens my life or NOT.  Spiders, bugs, cockroaches, snakes....etc I HATE them!  

I am always one to check my shoes or my surroundings when I partake of the great outdoors.  I worry about seeing such creepy crawly things in the wild.  When we first arrived, I would have terrible dreams about it.  Many of my dear Australian friends have warned me that I am not to worry about it because most of the dangerous wildlife on this continent (excluding sharks) has not killed anyone in many years however, I still think about it often.  

Well two weeks ago, we had our first encounter with one of the biggest creepy crawly spiders I have ever seen.  It was Sunday morning and we were preparing for church.  The girls were in their morning stupor and wanting some breakfast.  I asked Claire to go to the garage and get a box of cereal (BOY, do I miss my LARGE pantry in the USA).  She opened the door leading to the garage and what did she see but a Huntsman Spider right in the middle of the wall straight ahead.  She quickly closed the door and stated that we would not be having cereal for breakfast.  She also let me know that church was definitely out of the question this fine day.  SHEAR PANIC filled my heart because I was on my OWN to catch or kill this spider.  Tom had already left for his early morning meetings.

We have lived here for over a year and I have never seen a Huntsman Spider in person (we have heard that they are good luck - I have to say that they are definitely NOT good luck in my eyes).   I have been told that they are large and scary looking but, they will not hurt you.  They are more afraid of you then you are of them.  However, this did not give me much comfort with a spider the size of my hand that was sitting on the wall of my house.  I consider myself to be intelligent but, I can honestly say that the shear size of this spider knocked all of my good sense right out the window.  

I tried to think about what to do....DO I CAPTURE HIM or DO I KILL HIM?  I have a lovely friend in Australia that is so peaceful and calm.  I was trying desperately to channel her spirit as I debated what to do.  I decided that I would try to capture him and return him to the wild.  

After 35 minutes of chasing a HUGE spider up and down the walls of my house with three girls scared to death but, close enough to watch the debacle, I caught him with my pool noodle and a Tupperware bowl.  Once I had him pinned between the bowl and the ceiling is when the real dilemma began.  How I was going to get a lid on the bowel without the spider getting loose?  I tried many different techniques which ALL resulted in the spider getting loose and then I was starting over to capture him.  It was one heart pumping action after another.  Ultimately, I accidentally broke 3 of the spiders legs and ended up needing to kill him after all.  Once he was dead we promptly returned him to the great outdoors and within minutes a Magpie swooped down to eat him up.  I contributed to the circle of life and felt quite good about it.  

I learned a few things about myself during this adventure/crisis----
1.  I REALLY hate creepy crawly things more than I ever imagined.
2.  I REALLY don't think clearly when faced with danger.
3.  Next time any spider comes into my home, I don't capture it but, KILL it straight-away!
4.  Spiders are NOT friends but, Foes especially when they are the size of your HAND!

SCENIC DAY & NIGHT

The last couple of weeks we have had the opportunity to see many gorgeous landscapes.  We have immersed ourselves in the picturesque beauty that surrounds this iconic city - Sydney.  Every weekend that we are in Sydney, we try very hard to take the girls on an adventure.  There is so much to see and do that it is difficult to decide what to experience.  One of the many adventures that has been recommended to us countless times is a coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee.  It takes about 2 hours one way and follows the rocky coastline around each point.  At every inlet, it drops down to a stunning beach.  We had a glorious day and the weather was perfect - not too hot and not too cold.  They girls admired the many dogs that were on the path and the cooling ocean breeze.  They were thrilled to see one of their favorite lifeguards from the Australian TV show, BONDI RESCUE, sitting in his tower at Tamarama Beach (also know as "Glamarama Beach").  Whenever you take a walk along the beaches surrounding Sydney, you never know what you are going to encounter.  You see people of all ages, all walks of life and many of them are wearing some interesting outfits or lack there of.  We have had the opportunity of having many conversations regarding modesty and its importance - life lessons can be so valuable.

The girls thought this looked like a CROC's large head.

In addition to our coastal walk, we decided to venture into the city for VIVID.  This year we wanted to see Vivid again but, we thought it would be great to see it via the water.  Tom has a colleague who invited us to experience Vivid on his boat. Vivid via the water is a fantastic treat.  It gives you a completely different perspective especially as you are cruising the Sydney Harbor by night.  We were able to have dinner on the boat, listen to some wonderful music and admire the colorful lighting display.  The girls were loving the boat - no motion sickness this time. 

Overall we had a incredible couple weeks experiencing the scenic vistas of Sydney.  We have not been disappointed because Sydney is a STUNNER!

Thanks Brian, we had a wonderful time.