Spiders

Spiders have been our constant companions since our move to Datchet. They’re usually small and not much of a problem. Occasionally there will be a larger spider which we dispatch as quickly as a proper squishing shoe can be found. Lately however, the small spiders are few and far between and the large spiders seem to be coming out in droves. (Must be the season for them.) Our main excitement these days is the sighting, screeching and subsequent scrambling for a shoe that takes place whenever a spider is not stealthy enough to make it across the floor/wall/ceiling unnoticed.

A little bit of online research found the spider. Ironically enough it is called a House Spider. The scientific name is tegenaria domestica which sounds a bit scarier, but not really. According to the web the body length can be between six and 10mm – add long legs to that and it’s certainly enough spider to give one a start.

www2002.stoke.gov.uk says: “This is the large long-legged spider often seen scurrying across the carpet late at night. Builds a web containing a tube which the spider hides inside, often constructed around a hole which it can use as a lair – a hole in a window frame for example. Although many people do not like to see this creature in the home, it does no harm other than to the various household pests it feeds on – so reducing their numbers.”

Bank Holiday

This weekend is a Bank Holiday weekend. (Monday being the holiday and making it what we would call a long weekend.) A “Bank Holiday” is a national holiday. The best I can tell there are six bank holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, May Day (not necessarily 1 May), Spring and Late Summer Holidays at the end of May and August, and Boxing Day. The name undoubtedly comes from the fact that banks are closed on these holidays. Most shops are open, though perhaps with shorter hours.

A Bank Holiday weekend is a terrible time to try and go anywhere or do anything. It seems like everyone under the sun (or the clouds as is the case here most of the time) hits the road. The motorways get crammed, the shops are packed, and any tourist destination is certain to be overrun to the point of being more frustrating than enjoyable. About the only thing I enjoy about Bank Holidays is that Steve usually doesn’t have to work!

Here again

Our summer holiday is over. (Summer Photos) The kids and I arrived back in England yesterday after leaving the US on Tuesday. It would be safe to say that about all we’ve done since our arrival is sleep. All of us, with the exception of John, slept on the way home (what is normally a 45 minute drive took two hours because of an overturned lorry that had the motorway essentially closed), then crawled into bed and slept the day away. Late in the day we woke up long enough to eat some dinner and were all back in bed and asleep within a couple of hours. At a little after 10AM, I am the only one awake so far. Driving up from Texas over the weekend then rushing around packing on Monday for a Tuesday flight wore us all out.

The boys both have Orthodontist appointments this morning, then I’ve got to go and swap for a new rental car, get some groceries and go work at the Bridge in Datchet for a couple of hours this afternoon. We’re just jumping right back into things here. Good thing we’ve had plenty of sleep!

Low Carbs

One thing that has definitely changed in the US in the last year or so is the focus on low carbs. Everywhere we went there were low carb menu items. The TV commercials all seem to feature low carb foods. It’s everywhere!! Very strange.

In the News — Bin Laden calls for attacks on Britain

Perhaps living near to Heathrow isn’t such a great thing after all. Next Tuesday will see us arriving at Gatwick. It’ll be interesting to see if security has changed much there. So far it certainly has not been as intense as in the US.