As soon as it gets dark this time of year, the buggers come out to play. I swear the one under my bed last night had a six-inch legspan.

Yes, we were seeing them in August. Also, rather like the slugs, they're enormous this year.

I don't think that caravan would be big enough for this spider.

How do you deal with them juno? The fat, hairy ones are the worst by far... The biggest I've had (a few years ago) came out when I was home alone - it had a body the size of 5p coin and the legs to go with it (yes, I actually got out a 5p and compared it). I'm totally against killing them - think I slowly chased that one towards the door.

"Slowly"? These buggers move like Lance Armstrong.

I don't like killing them either; though I must confess I tried with this one (rolled up newspaper). But it just bounced back up and carried on. It went under the bed, and since then I've been expecting it to crawl into bed with me during the night.

I didn't actually know this myself until recently but spiders in the UK are actually capable of biting and drawing blood. I only ever thought it was the tropical ones that were capable of that, so I have a newfound respect for them! Anyroad, Bill Odie(?) says that it's not that spiders are getting bigger, it's just that the weather is getting warmer, there's thus more food, and so more of them are growing to maximum size. At least it's not centipedes that appear to be getting larger - that would be bad.

Thanks for sharing that, Walmin I will wear a boiler suit in bed till I know where this bugger has got to. It was like a small crab.

our (rather neglected) garden is full of huge hairy spiders. when i go out to hang up the washing i take a broom stick with me and wave it in front of myself, in order to avoid walking right into one - they like to build their webs right across the path... i must look really comical

i get scared of those which have a cross on their back, because someone once told me that they don't just bite, but are actually poisonous, and that a bite will feel about like a wasp sting.

Hmm, yes, I guess I would prefer a slow, fat spider to an athletic one. We had one of those too the other week. I actually fell off a chair trying to avoid it - no harm done My mum likes to describe how they 'gallop' across the room - very apt I think.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2161325,00.html

I found this hilarious article by Guardian's Charlie Brooker.

That's brilliant, I know the feeling well! Esp. the bit about them running under your cupboard when you switch the light on at 4am, leaving you unable to get back to sleep.

Is Piglet reading this? Australia must get some whopper spiders too?

YouTube is crawling with videos of this year's crop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw03_I-TGtc

Best title is "A Bloody Massive Spider in my Bloody House", but sadly the video doesn't live up to its promise.