to be really fed up with being arachnaphobic?

[imonthefone]

Grrrrr...... I LOVE gardening; was just having a end(ish) of summer sort out...painting fences, moving sheds, getting rid of all the crap etc etc...

Im 40 years old...Ive always been frightened of spiders. i think Ive got better over the years. I can mostly deal with the harvestmen spindly things and the wolf type spiders if they dont touch me and I dont look directly at them. But what I really really cant abide are the BIG black ones that hang out in sheds....yeuck yeuck yeuck......Just come across 2...fighting, or maybe MATING (shudder) and thats the end of it....Had to come in, lost my breakfast in the kitchen sink. There are 5 bags of rubbish in the garden which I will not now be able to carry to the front of the house, put in my car and take to the tip..I will have to wait for a spider-hardy friend to come and do it for me

I am FED UP with it...I am otherwise normal, strong, independant, self sufficient kind of gal. Spiders reduce me to a hyperventilating shell......so humiliating....

what can i do?

i think of tarantuals as being slower....?

Well, from personal experience (taking them out of their tank for walks), my tarantulas walk very slowly up and down my arms/across shoulders etc.

However - if they are hungry and I've just put a cricket in the tank, they move so fast I can see nothing except a furry blur. They CAN move quickly, but don't unless they need to (for food or to get out of danger).

I answered the door with Lola on my shoulder once. The delivery lady commented on my unusual brooch

Nope, I am afraid that I am also scared to death of T. They are just S, but more huge and more scary in my mind I would probably pass out at the sight of one.

Well I just suggested to DH that I find one of these courses to attend near me in Derbyshire, and he looked at me like this -->

Well ok then, as long as he keeps up the beastie removal!!

There is categorically no doubt in my mind that if faced with an actual tarantula I would drop dead.

Recently I was reading the paper on the train. Turned the page and there was a picture of a tarantula.

Readers, I hurled the paper into the air and ran away from it. My heart raced for hours.

I am a lost cause.

Many many moons ago when I first started working as a truancy officer, I had to make a visit to an address - as was my job!

Anyhow, I arrived at the address, knocked on the door and when the door was opened and I'd introduced myself, the lady pretty much pulled me into the house, into the living room and shut the door behind me really quickly

It was really quite warm in the house, almost stifling but I got down to the business of why I was there etc.

The lady was only half listening to me I could tell, and when I asked her if she was ok, she said "yes, fine, but the spiders are out and I'm checking they didn't escape when I came to the door"

Cue an immediate uplifting of my legs off the floor and a breaking into an immediate sweat

So I'm sitting in my suit with my legs out ramrod straight in front of me wondering what the hell to do

I asked if she could put them away and she just laughed and said they'd go back when they were ready and they wouldn't hurt me, but could I refrain from sudden movements as I might scare them!

I MIGHT SCARE THEM

Then I saw one, a tarantula just pottering around on the floor around the back of the tv

I asked how many there were, and she told me only 2. ONLY TWO OF THESE BUGGERS.

One of them was a good 8-10 ft away, but I had no idea about the other one. It was behind the sofa I was sitting on . I HEARD it walking across the laminate and even now I shudder at the thought.

It was one of the quickest home visits I've ever done, and when I got out of the house I ran, actually ran, up the path and to my car. It's the only house I've refused to go back to ever

My boss was very understanding but bloody hell it was horrible

In fairness, they didn't approach me, thank god - but I was soaked with sweat when I left that house

babylon and GOLD

Omg Babylon

Babylon, I've just realised that whilst I read your post I have lifted my feet off the floor.

Babylon I'm in a cold sweat here just reading that. That is my absolute nightmare. I would have been out of there like a shot

So iamonthefone, you asked what you should do.
And now you know the answer.
Are you going to do it?

Im not sure that i know the answer

but i am going to do the course at Bristol zoo, yes

That IS the answer! Well done that woman! Congratulations!

PLEASE come back and post when you've done it and you might convince some others to do the same.
You don't have to get a pet tarantula afterwards but they are really cute!

I really need to do the course don't I?

I like tarantulas, but i don't like garden and house spiders. I can't touch them.

Goldierocks - My red knee girlie died :(

We had a brazillian salmon pink called fluffy :D

Aracnophobes do not click this!

I'm phobic they make me cry, scream and I once knocked my eldest over trying to get away from one.
I don't think I would make it to the course because the thought that someone would put me in a room with one is too much.
I don't garden although I would love to because our garden is crawling with them. They are everywhere. Quite often I don't even sit in the garden because they are on the decking. It has totally affected my life.

Leena We know how you feel, because a great many of us are the same.

Dethlac is your friend (inside the house only though) - available from amazon.

Leena.
You don't need to worry about being put in a room with one. When you arrive there is no sign of any spider and you won't be expected to do anything you are not ready for.

I thought the spider population had declined since I did the course but with my fear went whatever magic powers attuned me to them, so I don't see them so often. They are there but I'm not scanning the environment for them, I can't 'see' them in the dark like I used to.

why would you do that QueenofDiamonds?

is that you?

What a stupid link to post. That's not going to help anyone.