In Australia, one of the things you're aware of is the potential danger of snakes and spiders. I must confess it's nowhere near as bad as I imagined; I've never seen a snake and see less spiders than I did in England. But it doesn't make me any less wary of tall grass and dark corners, home not just to snakes and spiders but also the land dwelling shark. So when one of my colleagues came across a Redback when reaching for a brochure there was much eeking and oohing from the office. The Redback was squished but it was noted that it was a close call. Although the Redback wouldn't actively go seeking a hand to nibble on, if it felt threatened it would have gone in for the kill! It was then decided that we should fumigate the little alcoves under the desks and make sure there were no other Redbacks lurking. A cunning plan, if not a little excessive. Brave - ha ha - or stupid Little Stalky that I am, I offered to clear the alcoves of their literature so that they were ready for the arrival of pest control. A good idea, my boss conceded, but not without protection. Ah yes, just in case the Redback had friends. So I was given an over sized pair of yellow leather gloves. That would do the trick. Ain't no spider getting through them! But then another colleague suggested going in with flyspray too. Just in case. If a Redback lurked within then we'd choke it out of there. So then I was armed with oversized yellow gloves and a large bottle of fly spray. Oh, and whilst I was at it, I needed a dish cloth too, you know, just to wipe about a bit. Right. Over sized yellow gloves, fly spray, dish cloth and all this whilst wearing my uniform. What would the customers think. Not much I imagine as I was hunkered down on the floor out of sight. I think I effectively managed to draw a questioning raised eyebrow from one guest when I popped up from behind the desk like a meerkat. Why, I didn't see you down there. No, I'm hunting Redbacks. Excellent. It's very hard to maintain an element of ladylike dignity when crouching down and delving into alcoves. I became aware, at one point, of someone standing behind me. The park owner; an amused smile on his face. What are you girls doing. We're Redback hunting! Redback hunting, I tell you! I think I would have better explained myself had I been wearing safari gear and a little hat. Maybe holding a rifle. Or a pokey stick! Regardless of what everyone else thought I went through every alcove and performed my own kind of fumigation. I found a few dead spiders, of the non deadly variety, but there were no more Redbacks. They'd obviously already heard of the Little Stalky Spider Hunter in the vicinity and made tracks. Redbacks beware, there's a Stalky out there! And she's armed with yellow, leather gloves and fly spray. And a dishcloth!
