The only water tap at the house is over a massive stone laundry sink in the furthest part of the garage, and the installation of this tap was greatly anticipated because we had no water source at all when we arrived at the house in August
Arriving at midnight for my first solo visit in October, I was none too happy (terrified, actually) to discover that an enormous spider lives on the windowsill above this tap. On the first morning when I went to get water he marched right out of his web and across the sill to take a look at me. I dropped the empty bottle I was holding, and backed off in a cold sweat
I calmed down when he returned to the entrance to his web, where he remained for the rest of that week, observing me
With no way of getting around the water situation – I needed to fill bottles with at least 25 litres a day for flushing the loo, cleaning myself and the house and for making camomile tea – I could not avoid at least one visit a day to the sink of terror. So I reminded myself that he was here first, and to curb my extreme fear I named him ‘Quinn’. Through the week greeted him each morning and evening as my fellow resident, nattering away to him in French as I leaned over the tap
As a coping mechanism the friendly approach worked. I am not crazy enough to imagine that it was social interaction for ‘Quinn’ and for the whole week I didn’t take my eyes off this huge ancient spider faded to a shade of dark blond (did I actually just make a spider sound like Brad Pitt?), but I was no longer so scared and was at times actually glad of the company
Charlotte was horrified to hear about my regular chats with him, until she saw his photo – it’s hard not to be impressed by him. When I returned from my January visit she was as disappointed as I was that there had been no sign of him at the entrance to his web. I hope he’s OK and hasn’t decided to move on from his comfy domain. I have tried to be a good housemate
Poshbird with Passion 
I love all spiders but yours is very impressive. It’s fun to make pets out of varmints. I have Betsy Sue, the possum.
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He looks like the sort of spider we get sometimes – the type you could put a on a lead and take for a walk.
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Having driven you further round the bend, I feel that Quinn has moved on annoucing to the world ‘my work here is done!’
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Are you suggesting that I am ‘borderline’?
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I think it’s a pre-requisite of restoring in France. It is also a compliment 🙂
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I have this clear mental picture of MQ packing up his personals and stomping off to the next abandoned house; muttering under his breath about mad lady renovators interrupting his decades long idyll!
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Well, there are plenty of empty bloody houses for him!
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Haha!
So true! But let’s be honest, live and let live and all that but would you want him walking over you in the middle of the nuit?
We don’t really have spiders, too much chestnut I think
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