Lochetic

Lochetic - lying in wait for prey (esp. spider)

I wanted to get an actual shot of a spider but there aren’t any around at the moment. On the wall next to our back door there is a spider’s web that goes from the central heating vent to the viburnum. It’s been there since last Summer. I know that because I spent some time trying, and failing, to take a shot of the spider for a blip challenge. The web is in a fairly bad state of repair. It needs some serious work if it’s ever going to catch any flies.

I thought that the spider must have up and left when Winter came, packed his bags and headed off on an Easy Jet flight to somewhere a bit warmer. It would still make a good image and story though. The abandoned web and the lack of the lochetic spider. You can’t see the web easily so out comes the water spray. It’s still around somewhere from yesterday’s blip antics. a quick spray and there’s the web ready for snapping.

Focussing is not easy and it doesn’t help that I cant get my tripod high enough to get the camera in the correct position. It takes a lot of goes but eventually I got some quite nice shots of the web. Then to my surprise out of the central heating vent pops the spider. Not in Torremelinos at all, but not lochetic either. Just rudely awakened and rushing around looking bemused. I tried to get a shot of him but missed first time. The next 15 minutes or so go like this: spray, spider rushes out, click, spider rushes back to his bed, spray, spider rushes out……. and so on until the spider gets really, really fed up and refuses to come out again. I think he’s in there now grumbling to himself and waiting until it’s time for him to rouse himself properly, get that web repaired and start filling his larder.

Not a brilliant shot but I was just pleased to have caught him at all.

When we drove past the place where the horse was tethered a couple of days ago it was no longer there. I hope it’s in a happier place. I haven’t heard back from the RSPCA but I’d like to think they managed to do something positive.