Burn with fire

What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?

This kind of ties in nicely with a post I wrote a short while back, Just another reason to not go wandering. In that post I wrote about some of my relatives and their constant attempts to get me to travel to the opposite side of the earth and visit them in Australia.

But why am I scared to do it? Quite simply I’m a nervous, trembling Arachnophobic. I don’t like those little eight legged freaks. And they probably feel the same about me.

I can pretty much trace my fears back to my childhood, when my parents in their ultimate wisdom used to force my elder brother to take me out to play with him and his mates and he was never too happy with that. However he and his friends had their fun by stuffing creatures such as spiders down my neck, and it is that point, the fear was born.

If I even see the smallest of critters in my house now, my wife will tell you I go up the wall and won’t settle until the invader is found and removed from the house. This can usually involve hours of furniture moving and me running about like a banshee until the issue is sorted.

I’m not just scared I’m bloody petrified.

So, to get me to Australia I’d have to wear something like a flamethrower, not particularly a very PC piece of equipment in a hot and dry environment where fire spreads so freely, however in a country where every animal and creature wants to kill you I see no other alternative.

Probably just easier that I stay away. Yes that’s it I’ll do just that. Problem solved.

Have a lovely day.

(Flame thrower pic courtesy of Misadventure Lab)

Just another reason to not go wandering

I’ve seen this news article and it just strengthens my reasoning to never visit Australia.

I have relations in Sydney who were over here about 6 months back. They are constantly trying to sell me the dream and trying to get the wife and I to visit. I’ve always been of the opinion that everything that lives there wants to kill you, both big and small and this article just broke the camels back as they say.

Article courtesy of Skynews

The attraction for me is less now, after spending over 24hrs in the air do I really want to face my biggest fear – Spiders. I’m not just afraid I’m totally petrified of them, we don’t have venomous ones here in the Uk, but all the same if you see a guy running down the road screaming its probably me as the wife deals with the issue…she really is the brave one.

Whilst speaking to Cousin Bob who is a builder on the outskirts of Sydney, he was casually trying to convince me to travel by saying that in all his time there he has rarely seen a large spider, however he said just watch for the little “red backed bastards” (pardon my language). Why? What will they do? I asked. “Ah they’ll probably kill you” he casually replied.

My mind was made up. Never going.

Happy day everyone 🕷️

Thoughts 16/4/24

What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?

Well this is another one that’s not going to be hard to answer. I have a friend who lives in the Melbourne area of Australia and thanks to him and the regular pictures he sends me I shall not be visiting that country anytime soon.

Now I don’t know if he’s doing this deliberately to keep me away, if that is the case he has succeeded.

Australia looks a beautiful place and I’m sure it is. However I am an arachnophobe to the point of absolute terror not just being scared. You should see me going into my garden shed here in the Uk, my wife says I look like the Pope giving a blessing as I have a large stick and I’m waving it about so I don’t get caught in any web.

Massive Spider – Australia style

It all goes back to when I was younger and my parents would force my elder brother to take me out to play with him and his mates. They of course used to use and abuse me as youngsters do, and one of the things they loved doing was stuffing all kinds of creatures down my neck and watching me scream and run around, I really was a bag of nerves back then. I’m not much better now especially in the presence of spiders.

To be honest it seems everything in Australia wants to kill you. If it isn’t many varieties of spiders, it’s the snakes. If not the snakes it’s the waterborne animals such as Crocs. Even the bloody Kangaroos want you to fight you!

And then there’s the heat. If the local wildlife doesn’t get you, then the heat does. I like a little warmth just like the next guy, but being a well done piece of meat doesn’t appeal to me.

Nope, I’ll be giving Australia a miss for the rest of my life if that’s ok.

Happy day to everyone 👍