A face full of web
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Finally got out for my first run since returning from Spain. Less a case of punding the pavements and more one of shuffling along in the dark. That's the sudden difference, of course. I'm no longer basking in the first rays of the sun and watching the planes circling in the blue over Gatwick: now I'm getting a face full of spider's web as I duck beneath the low-hanging branches of trees.
In Singapore once I visited the National Park there. It is the last piece of rainforest on the island and covers a few acres on the slopes of one of Singapore's rare hills. Rather typically for Singapore, there is some sort of military post at the top of the hill. Anyway, I went with a colleague of mine who is a little shorter than me. (Yes, that is relevant!) The forest has a number of trails you can follow that lead eventually to the crest of the hill: It's just not big enough to merit the term summit.
My colleague was leading and Laura and I were walking behind. Laura was behind me and I was keeping up a conversation with her. The terrain was failr easy so I was able to turn from time to time and talk and walk - who says men can't multi-task? After once such exhibition of the extent of my evolution I truned back to face forward and stopped less than inch away from a large blue spider. It was hanging in a web across the path. My colleague had been short enough to walk under the web without noticing it. It hung, however, at the perfect height for me to wear it as a balaclava had I wished. The spider was motionless. Now, I'm OK with spiders and I find them interesting to watch. This was perhaps a little too close. I've always believed that when something is brightly coloured like that it generally means either it is dangerous to eat or it's prepared to be grumpy. I would not have liked to have had it on my face. When a spider gets to that size its mouth parts must surely be able to inflict pain.
So this story sat at the back of my mind as I felt the ghoulish brush of webs on my face this morning. Perhaps some spider had escaped a delivery of bananas to the local supermarket and was spinning traps along the walkways of Reigate.
Then again, it was better than concetrating on my wheezing and heavy legs.
In Singapore once I visited the National Park there. It is the last piece of rainforest on the island and covers a few acres on the slopes of one of Singapore's rare hills. Rather typically for Singapore, there is some sort of military post at the top of the hill. Anyway, I went with a colleague of mine who is a little shorter than me. (Yes, that is relevant!) The forest has a number of trails you can follow that lead eventually to the crest of the hill: It's just not big enough to merit the term summit.
My colleague was leading and Laura and I were walking behind. Laura was behind me and I was keeping up a conversation with her. The terrain was failr easy so I was able to turn from time to time and talk and walk - who says men can't multi-task? After once such exhibition of the extent of my evolution I truned back to face forward and stopped less than inch away from a large blue spider. It was hanging in a web across the path. My colleague had been short enough to walk under the web without noticing it. It hung, however, at the perfect height for me to wear it as a balaclava had I wished. The spider was motionless. Now, I'm OK with spiders and I find them interesting to watch. This was perhaps a little too close. I've always believed that when something is brightly coloured like that it generally means either it is dangerous to eat or it's prepared to be grumpy. I would not have liked to have had it on my face. When a spider gets to that size its mouth parts must surely be able to inflict pain.
So this story sat at the back of my mind as I felt the ghoulish brush of webs on my face this morning. Perhaps some spider had escaped a delivery of bananas to the local supermarket and was spinning traps along the walkways of Reigate.
Then again, it was better than concetrating on my wheezing and heavy legs.
