Have you ever had a conversation with someone, about something that really spooks you? Then they try their best to reassure you, only somehow, they make it worse?
Well, this has kind of been my story over the last couple of weekends.
I have a fascination with Australia. It could be the accent (yep), it could be the idea of bronzed, blonde, blue eyed, surfer dudes (yep), but it could also be the vastness of the country. It still amazes me, and this is the same to a certain extent with the USA, how you have to get on a plane to get from one side of the country to the other. It is possible to drive from one end of the UK to the other, in less than twelve hours!
My dream is to visit Australia. There are dozens of reasons for this (and if I happen to bump into aforementioned surfer dude, then so be it…) but primarily I want to see it for myself. I want to experience the warmth; the summer and the winter being the opposite way around. I want to have a ‘barbie’ on the beach and I want to know what the ‘real bush’ looks like. I want to see kangaroos and koalas out in the wild and I want to hear possums on the roof at night.
Over the last couple of weekends, I have been fortunate enough to meet with some of my husband’s family who have emigrated to the land of Oz. An Uncle and cousin nearly thirty years ago, and another cousin around two years ago. I decided that having experts on hand would be an ideal opportunity to find out everything that there was to know about Oz – which included spiders and snakes…
We started at the tame end. Snakes. Evidently these can be found meandering along the roads in Oz and if you drive over them, they get cross (I can kind of see their point). Once cross, they will attach themselves to your car and if you are not quick enough to close your windows then bam… they are inside.
I am beginning to waiver here.
“But it’s fine,” says the Uncle, “I’ve only seen around three on the road in my thirty years…”
Hmm… still waivering.
Next we get onto spiders. These, it would seem, come in all shapes and sizes and will give you a nasty ‘nip’. I don’t like spiders. We don’t have any poisonous spiders in the UK and by Oz standards, ours are tiny, but I still run like a girl whenever I see them.
In Oz they can be sitting on your front door, the size of your hand. Or bigger. They require industrial strength spray to kill them (or mortally wound them) and then you have to dispose of them – and it would seem that the traditional UK method of sucking them up with a vacuum cleaner won’t cut it. Due to their size.
I am seriously wobbling now.
Apparently it is wise to check your shoes before you put them on, not to leave clothes on the floor and to give your bed a thorough going over before you get in at night.
Now I am really not happy. Surfer dude or not…
The cousins’ try to reassure me. “It’s okay, we don’t like spiders either, but we are coping. We just sweep the house with the spray every morning and it’s all good…”
Yeah. I am sure it is. But on the basis that our dream is to take a camper van around Oz and there are hundreds of spider sized nooks and crannies in one of those… I am seriously doubting if even the most blonde of hunky surfer dudes is going to get me on that plane…
Sigh…
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hhaha I am so with you! However . . . .New Zealand has a similar accent, a few surfer dudes and, wait for it, NO SNAKES! I did a virtual tour there a few years ago. You can check it out on my blog.
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Haha! I like your thinking. I may just have to check out your virtual tour. I quite like the idea of New Zealand as well, but there’s just something about Oz…. π
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I laughed all the way through that, AnnMarie! Being an Aussie I’ve heard all these same stories from visitors and all I can do is roll my eyes. I’ve lived all my life in Australia – from country to city – and I’ve yet to see a live snake outside of the zoo. Yes, you can come across them in rural areas, but they tend to stay in the bush. Maybe once or twice in a lifetime will you run over one on the road, and if that happens you keep your windows up and keep driving till you reach a service station.
It’s the same with spiders. The only ones I’ve ever seen around the house are Daddy Long Legs, and they catch bugs so I don’t take the broom to them. I have never found one in my bed, among my clothes or anywhere else. In summer, I always check my gardening shoes before putting them on, but I’ve never found anything nasty in them. And if I ever do come across a venomous spider, all I have to do is place a glass jar, or any container, over it and call local wildlife service who’ll get rid of it.
And when we go bush walking, we know how to dress to protect ourselves – high socks and thick walking boots.
Honestly, most Australians have never encountered any poisonous creatures. We just like to tell those stories to scare the visitors. Besides, from what I’ve heard from my American friends, they have far more dangerous creatures than we in Australia do.
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Hahaha! So, it’s all a ruse to keep us Pom’s out! Lol. Thanks for that Tima, I can imagine that the stories do get a little embroiled…I note you didn’t mention how many hunky surfer dudes you had seen though…. π ?
By the way, if you have picked up a snake and you stop at the next service station, what do you do then? I am thinking my running like a girl thing would be needed …? π
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Ooh, those surfer dudes are there! I live just down from the beach and there’s nothing more I like than sipping my coffee and enjoying the view *wink* As for the snake under the car, they take a shovel and bang the underside a few times till the vibrations shake it out. Then they bash it on the head.
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In which case, when I do get to Oz, I am coming to you for coffee! π
Ah..ouch!
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Lol! You’re most welcome π
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hah! i totally get this. one of my daughters is married to an aussie and we’ve gone back and forth over the years. while i love the country/continent, some of the creatures are as scary as the accents and surfers are beautiful )
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Haha. I love the comparison, scary creatures and beautiful surfers… maybe I’ll risk it π
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LOL! That is so sad!!! Just wrap yourself in bubble wrap when you’re there! π
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Good plan, but I’ll have to remember to make holes for my eyes π
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Snakes are definitely a deal breaker for me!
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It’s more spiders for me, although I have to say that I don’t think I would like either of them in my car! Thanks for reading π
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Too bad, we are going!
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Yeah, yeah…. x
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I have been 3 Times Ann Marie, and have never seen a snake, or any big spiders, so fulfil your dream and go xxx
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Aw, thanks Barbie. I know that you loved it over there. We are hoping to go in a few years time so fingers crossed we won’t see any either! xx
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I’m with you on that AnnMarie and I can absolutely understand where you’re coming from.
It’s like the grass is always greener on the other side – until you see the other side that is!
I know that’s not exactly what you’re saying but I hope you get my drift! I really want to visit California – it’s definitely on my bucket list. One day…
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I really want to visit there too! Wouldn’t it be great if we could just hop on a plane whenever we wanted? π
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Or better still if these places were within driving distance and we didn’t have to go on a long, gruelling flight which leaves us with jet lag lol!!
But having said that, for me California would be worth it!! π
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