My knees are scratched to high heaven where a confused dog tried to give comfort to the zombified madwoman going nuts in the middle of the night… claws and bare knees are not the best of combinations.
That I had managed to get to sleep last night was probably down to sheer fatigue…the past few weeks have been somewhat busy, if largely wonderful. So to be woken at three in the morning seemed a tad unfair. I’d had a bit of an accident a couple of days ago…the resulting bruises run the length of the thigh and are the kind of purple that should not be seen on living flesh. That was bad enough and had been making getting comfortable enough to sleep fairly awkward… but last night I doubt if anything could have kept me awake.
It had been a lovely day, meeting up with my American friends once more as they drove through Oxfordshire towards their final weekend in the UK. A third friend had joined them and the chance to say a brief hello with hugs could not be missed… especially as it meant another couple of hours shared with all and the chance to say a proper farewell to three people I love very dearly.
So I had driven out to meet them… but I had not, apparently, driven alone.
There is a spider in my car that is trying to kill me.
Not the culprit…
This is no exaggeration. It had first made its presence felt as I drove at some speed back from the north the other day. It had taken up residence on my bare arm and sat there looking at me.
I looked back. I had never seen one like that before. Sort of yellow, tightly built and sharp… not very big, no more than a centimetre across. It reminded me of a seaside crab somehow. I wondered briefly if it was really a British spider or had hitched a ride over from the US as a stowaway in a suitcase. Either way, it wasn’t staying on my arm.
It is not that I dislike spiders, they are fascinating creatures, but there is a limit to how intimate I want to get with one, especially when I am driving. I opened the window with the intention of brushing it off… but it leaped to the relative safety of the footwell and disappeared.
I have seen it several times since then, exploring the dashboard, just out of reach as I have been driving to and from work, but thought little more about it, until today.
I arrived at my destination yesterday afternoon and noticed that my foot was covered in blood. This seemed a bit odd as I had showered just before going out and knew I hadn’t done anything to cut myself. I cleaned it up and thought no more about it. By the time I got home, it was bleeding again in several places. I supposed I must have caught it on something, cleaned it up again and forgot about it.
Till three o’clock this morning, when the itching woke me.
By half past, I was up, swallowing antihistamines.The offending appendage is slathered in whatever I could find to try to numb the damned thing and wearing an ice pack to take the swelling down. Four obvious holes have been bitten through the flesh and the foot, which has had more than its fair share of problems lately, is once again scarlet and swollen, though at least this time I have a fair idea why.
The dog, confused by the dark hour but convinced that as I was up it was time for breakfast, walk and ball, has been insistently trying to drag me from the chair… and at four o’clock we heard the first bird break the night silence.
When the rest of the village awakens, me and the vacuum are going on a spider hunt …
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Ouch!
LikeLike
yep…
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s terrible. Fortunately, its bite seems to not be lethal There’s something called the brown recluse which has venom. It can be found even in the house, possibly in the dirty clothes hamper or a closet. You’re wise to get rid of it before you have an infestation. All the best. —- Suzanne
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure this invader was the one in the car… but it has done enough damage and is going …
LikeLike
Good to know we actually have these things, bad that it bit you. How can something that small do so much damage? Hope your poor foot gets better soon…
LikeLike
So do I Jaye x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
LikeLike
Total buggeration. And swelling too. We are so used to British spiders being harmless that that’s a bit of a jolt. Must be the channel tunnel or somethign to blame.
LikeLike
Whatever it is I’m stuck in casualty now 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
HOpe the meds helped and you find the little culprit!
LikeLike
I’ll find him if I have to dismantle the darned car…
LikeLike
I hope you get the little bugger!
LikeLike
I will do my best! Don’t fancy this again…or having passengers at risk!
LikeLike
Attack spiders? No way I’m going to hit “like” for this one. After living in the US South (Virginia, thank you very much) with its flesh-destroying Brown Recluse spider, there is no way I can ever put on a pair of shoes or a coat without a thorough shakeout first. (PLEASE consider a doctor visit esp. if your recent guest was from the American south…)
LikeLike
Sat waiting at hospital now… Doc sent me straight here 😦 now I’m bored… X
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, NOW I like this. Or at least I like your doc because I totally agree with her. Let us know how you’re doing. We all worry.
LikeLike
Just back… and there is one bit I will HAVE to share… too good not to! 🙂 Thanks, Barb.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s the stuff of nightmares. While you are sitting in A&E did anyone track down the spider? Are you sure it isn’t lying in wait for you return to the car?
LikeLike
There’s only me around Mary and my sons are arachnophobes…itll be my job .
LikeLike
Oh, my goodness! I love spiders. But outside. In the garden. Far, far, away. The cats help keep us clear in the house. Whew! Hope you heal up fast.
LikeLike
After a day at the hospital with the little blighter’s work, so do I!
LikeLike
Oh, Sue, you have had a rough week. I hope your throat has cleared up, at least. And that spider sounds a nasty little creature – for all that there were lots of big scary spiders in Australia, it was the small ones that could really do some damage. Sounds like this one is trying to get you, for some reason. Hope you found him before he found you again.
LikeLike
Thanks, Helen. Thankfully the throat seems okay now. No, the spider is still in the car… and I can’t sleep with the foot driving me up the wall. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, that’s so frustrating – I can imagine it’s so itchy. I’m glad to hear your throat is better now, though. I wonder what sort of spider that was – it seems very aggressive!
LikeLike
It was…must have felt cornered… but it has certainly made me pay for that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you’re starting to feel better now, though. Spider bites can be quite nasty.
LikeLike
So I notice 😉 yes, think the worst is over now. I hope.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad to hear it 🙂
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Hope you can get that darned little varmint!
LikeLike
Omg, Sue, that`s horrible. I hope you get the little bleep and that you get better soon. Has anyone got any idea what type of spider it was yet?
LikeLike
Yours is the closest I’ve xome to identifying the little sod, Adele.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good I hope that it does get identified what a horrible spider.
LikeLike
As long at it can’t bite anyone else…or me again!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So sorry to hear about this Sue! Spider bites are really nasty, especially since thy bleed from the anticoagulant in the venom. Plus they take a good bit of time to clear up. Take care and make sure the bites do not get infected – if they start looking even a little bit iffy, hike yourself to emergency care. The number of bites worries me.
It’s definitely a “garden spider” from the description.
LikeLike
Been to emergency twice now… once for the bite, once for the treatment 😦
LikeLike
Hope your foot is doing better. Did you get the spider?
LikeLike
Foot’s healing, the rst of me isn’t so good yet. No the spider is still in there…
LikeLiked by 1 person