We’re not completely unfamiliar with the need for pest control. Mornington is a great place to live, but like any other, it comes with drawbacks. We’ve gotten used to encountering the odd huntsman in the potting shed to their own devices, but the day I came scalp to spinnerette with a white-tail was the straw the slammed the telephone book down on the arachnids’ back. This was way worse that that time we had to get termite removal in our Frankston flat.
We’d had a major storm and the evening air was thick with mosquitos and steamy humidity.
Also, the fact our fernery, which joins onto the bathroom had gone crazy with overgrowth following the great rain we’d had over the last week, and this obviously provided a great playground for a whole lot of creepy crawlies. I tend to ignore the ecosystem unless of course it comes inside, and on this day, that line in the sand was firmly drawn after an encounter that I’ll remember until the day I die, I swear.
My pre-shower routine includes a shower cap, which I fit with precision to make sure my hair doesn’t get wet. The second I put the cap on, I knew something was terribly wrong. I thought it was broken elastic, the feeling of something brushing my face, until I realised that feeling was extremely not elastic but rather a wriggling, live being I’d trapped inside my shower cap. I ripped it off and flung it into the bathtub, where, what I saw drew the breath from me. A HUGE whitetail spider crept out of the cap, and tried climb the walls of the tub. To add further horror to this story, the spider was shortly after followed by a steady stream of babies. Was I dying of disgust or spider bite?
I’ve never been so grateful for our super-hot hot water. After I’d scrubbed my scalp and hair so hard my head stung, I got straight on the phone and ordered Mornington’s pest control experts to come fumigate my entire home. I’ve never been so glad for a service in my life.