Catcher-in-the-rye

Thanks edcam. A bit of TLC and she'll be back to her old self.

Just wanted to say a big Thank You to the people who stopped to help my Mum when she fell outside Lordship Lane Post Office earlier today. We were touched by the kindness and concern you all showed; the chap who phoned the ambulance, the chap who let my mum rest her head on his bag, the Dr who stopped to assist and the nurse. My Mum is doing okay just a bit bruised, but you're all absolute diamonds.

I think Dulwich Park have got a little Christmas Market this weekend.

I miss the old days when Dr Gupta Senior had his little surgery in the house down the road, you just turned up and waited your turn.

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They are all over the place. Since my first post last year we've seen a big increase in them. Usually if you find one tube shaped web there will be another very near, I think they like company. We've had ours so long now they've become part of the family. You see them out and about near their webs but they are very shy and run when they see someone approach. They don't come indoors (which is why I'm so relaxed about it all, otherwise I'd be screaming my head off).

In the last couple of weeks we've had a few 'Cold Callers'. Can't stand 'em, don't care who they or what they want, (even if they flash a plastic badge at me) they get a very hostile reaction when they ring my doorbell - the fact the my dog goes mental as well usually sends them back over the gate. I get concerned for my elderly neighbours though. Time we had a No Cold Calling Zone in SE22.

Just to let you know folks, the NHM has confirmed that I have Segestria Florentina. Not to worry though the effects of any bite should wear off in about 24 hours. The Natural History Museum sent me a fact sheet all about them and have further information on their site. I must admit a new-found respect for the the little blighters (actually the largest spider in the UK). Now how do I kill 'em?

Found another one last night, that's four so far - two on the fence and two in the gaps of the brick-work around my front door. Managed to get a couple of very poor quality photographs which I'm about to send to London Zoo. If it makes you feel a little more at ease Asset, the legs on the funnel web pic are a little thicker than the ones on my uninvited guests - oh but the fangs...the fangs!

Well Chuff, I think there are bound to be few setting up home around SE22, I can't house them all in my little oasis. I have started to have nightmares about them though.

Has anyone found some strange looking spiders in their garden. We've found a couple of smooth legged very dark brown/black nasty looking things with big fangs. They lurk in tubular funnel shaped webs. We've been on to London Zoo, but they say they need a picture, which is impossible to get as we never see their bodies. The legs and fangs look similar to a picture of a Segestria Florentina on www.stevehopkin.co.uk/cornishspiders/007SEGflo/.

I've seen the application and it cleary states that they intend to operate a needle exchange.