Humans vs Arachnids

This morning, we made full use of my husband’s day off to tackle the shed. I have been dreading sorting the shed. We celebrate our 5th year on site this year and I am determined that the allotment will be in top shape. The last 3 years, we haven’t had time or money to spend on improving our plot but this year will be different. And it all starts with the shed.

I loathe going in the shed at the moment – it is full of cobwebs and everything needs a good clean and sweep out. I have intended to clear the shed for months but there is one thing that stopped me. It has 8 legs and is roughly the size of a small cat. This tarantula lurks in the dark forgotten recesses of the shed, lying in wait for an unsuspecting human.

Armed with my knight in shining armour today, we tackled the shed. I took out the easy things before leaving my husband to remove anything covered in cobwebs, anything stacked in a corner and anything which a spider could lurk under or in (basically, most of the shed!).

Once it was emptied, we borrowed a broom from Cliff and swept out the floor. The removing of the table, chairs and other paraphernalia revealed not just one evil beast but 5, all of increasing size. The last one was utterly enormous and I confess I screamed and ran away whilst my husband removed it from the shed.

We sorted through a ton of rubbish and rapidly filled three bin bags. I really must remember to clear out the shed more than once every 3-4 years! We ran out of bin bags so my husband dashed home to pick some up and the car so we could take the rubbish away more easily.

Whilst he was gone, I went down to check the chickens and I noticed that not only was Pop moulting but she had bumblefoot. I called Cliff over to have a look and he helped remove it. Luckily the core came out easily and without any issues. He sprayed her foot with antiseptic spray and thoroughly dealt with her scaley leg by slathering her legs in sudacrem. Hopefully she should feel much better now. On my way back I spotted one of Cliff’s chickens exploring Dave the Plot’s shed. She seemed very happy and wandered off in search of Cliff.

Upon the arrival of my husband with more bin bags and cleaning wipes, we set to work cleaning the furniture and clearing the shed of the worst of the cobwebs. We also cleared the greenhouse of rubbish so although neither the shed nor the greenhouse is finished, they look considerably better.

Next task is to re-paint the outside of the shed with wood preserving paint and I have decided to paint the inside too in order to brighten it up. Fortunately, my other partner in crime arrives on Thursday and has foolishly volunteered her services! Digging over the bottom of the plot is also a priority over the next couple of weeks before the weather turns and the weeds take over fully.