I was watching BBC Breakfast yesterday and there was a very nice lady telling me that my fear of spiders is a learned behaviour, the only true fears that babies are born with are fear of loud noises, (I seem to have got over that one, in a household with four children) and fear of falling. So, I know now that it’s perfectly rational for me to be convinced that I’m going to fall off a steep slope when I’m wearing a huge pack, but not to be absolutely terrified of spiders.
Feels the same to me though, the palpitations, the sweating palms, the shear and utter terror… Still, it’s good to know that it’s all in my mind and that I can unlearn the spider thing. Stuck with the fear of falling though…
The four little treasures and me, convinced I’m about to slide off the slope near Leathad Buide
The natural history expert sitting next to the nice lady went on to say that the season for spiders in the house was nearly over now (he wants to get himself to my place, I’ll show him a spider or two!) and that most of them were males anyway, on a kind of spider rut, their only interest being in the opposite sex, not me. Rationally, I’m sure he’s right. But if anyone were to buy me one of those spider catchers, a lidded box on a long pole, I know, in my heart of hearts, that any spider I tried to catch would vault the box, sprint up the pole and disappear up my sleeve whilst I have an apoplectic fit.
Funny thing though. I have, on occasion, woken in a tent, to find a spider peering in at me from the other side of the mesh, but I can cope. I know the big-enuff-to-see-um spider is too big to get through the no-see-um.
I still prefer them to tootle off though.
As to the whole falling off the hillside thing, David’s going to have a ball laughing at me. I might need to carry more than one spare pair of pants…
7 comments:
Spiders are OK, but I wouldn't want one up me pants. As long as they stay up in the roof of the tent, then thats OK by me - although I do fear for them when I pack it up wet.
I don't specially like heights either - I suppose you can get used to exposure to some extent by constant...exposure to it.
Some people would say that I also have a morbid fear of paying for a round...but thats just unfair
"Fear of paying for a round"
Every once in a while, there's a lot of moths round here.
Quite rare though.
I'm married to a Scotsman...
Spiders in your tent?
'S'Nuffin!
Ask Morpeth about Badgers! Now there's a scary thing to wake up to in your tent at two or three in the morning on the Chally... Three pairs of beady eyes glaring at you...
Badgers?!!
I had enough trouble with a marauding rabbit in the middle of the night that turned out to be a shrew!
It popped in the following evening to join us for a game of Newmarket and made a close inspection of Ciara's trainers. Who'd 've thought something sooooo tiny could make such a racket.
Badgers would be a little unnerving...
Rats as well - TicToc - he who suffers from ticks and appears like a modern day Walter Poucher without perfume (I'm showing my age here) proudly showed me the hole in his Akto where a rat had shared his pad on a night out in Allt Darrarie....
Allt Darrarie.
Hang on, that rings a bell.
(Scrabbles for potential/hopeful route map and previous comments re route)
As I thought, someone has previously recommended that as a wild camp!
Martin?
(Can't type anymore for the nerves, need a lie down.)
It may well have been me, yes. TicToc said we may not find anywhere, and if we did we may get rats (well - perhaps mice). Our pitch was excellent - see the foot of this posting:
http://phreerunner.blogspot.com/2008/05/monday-19-may-tgoc-day-11-still-day-on_21.html
Good luck, and don't worry if you are a reserve, you should get a cancellation.
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