Acrophobia Meets Arachnophobia

I had been putting off going up a ladder to clear the blocked lead gutter on the front of our house for some time. I was kind of hoping this pissistent incessant rain would have eventually flushed it out naturally, but no. That would have been just too kind of fate, and far too easy.

So it was, that in between yet another downpour, and gutter overflow, I finally had to overcome my phobia and climb up. MrsB agreed to stand on the bottom rung to brace the ladder, and break my fall.

Anyway, I cleared the blockage, but then spotted a broken slate as well. One step up and two steps down. Oh dear. I was however by this time getting quite adventurous and decided to blip a panorama overlooking Knutsford Heath. Only problem was, being such a scaredy cat, all I got was a very nice detail of our gutter - mmm no spotlight today then.

Much later, I was uploading my one gutter blip when I suddenly spotted this monster scuttle across the carpet. Good job MrsB was upstairs, otherwise the vacuum would have been out in a flash. Better this, I thought.

After I had blipped it, I picked the beastie up to put safe. Enroute to the basement (where they all end up) it quickly ran up my arm and then down the neck of my sweatshirt. Rarely have I moved so swiftly in taking that off, but do you know what? It was gone completely.

I checked online and think it might be a Giant House Spider. Awhh I thought, until I read the Wiki entry bit about: "The bite of this species does not pose a threat to humans or pets, although it is the only species of the whole Agelenid family to be able to bite through the whole thickness of human skin" - say what?

Let's now add Arachnophobia to my Acrophobia then.

Am feeling a bit itchy now. I swear.