Today my painting group went to Lyttleton to sketch, paint, etc. for end of term. It was awesome - the house is on top of a hill, surrounded by Reserve land and so has a great view and no close neighbours. The best view, however, was definitely close up.
It was a spider of some sort. Not a whitetail, just a garden spider of some kind. A young kowhai tree pressed up against the window and the spider had used the tender plant to sew together a silken nursery.
She'd stocked the waterproof, climate-controlled balloon with a caterpillar for the developing brood to feast on. She stayed in perfect position over the silk for an hour and a half while I drew her (her body not counting legs was about as long as the top joint of your thumb - enormous!) and protected her babies from the light rain - and then the sun came out, and she conscienciously moved her brown and black body to the sunward side of the nursery bubble, to shelter them from becoming too hot...
Far out it was cool to watch. Go mama spider!
Also today I signed up for a weaving course, traditional Maori weaving from an actual master weaver, she's a lady I met thru the sketching group.
Tomorrow I will have hungi for lunch, yes I will. Sooooooooo goooooood. Nothing tastes as good. Best. Food. Ever.
*** NEWSFLASH ***
I think I have found a place to live. It's not too far from here, in Parklands/North Brighton. It's got its upsides (the girl seemed relentless cheerful) and its downsides (the girl is relentlessly Christian) and its could-be-good-or-bad-sides (3 other dogs on the property, and 2 are *dogs* not *bitches*... but there is a good chance my flatmates will look after Sock when I'm away). 2 guys and 1 girl at the moment, I think, so I will even it up.
It's got to be warmer than this garage.
I hate moving. Stupid moving. I'm not even going to think about you until the landlord pulls down another wall.
(Seriously. The landlord has stripped all the cladding from my flatmate's bedroom. She's still got a month on her lease!)
*** RETURN TO NORMALFLASH***
Dear Phreq, a flood of blogs, that's terrific. Watch out for Relentlessly Cheerful, it might be catching. I am sure the Lord isn't though.
Neato
I've been well innoculated against both dread conditions in my early childhood by my immunisation-focused parents ;) They missed the polio jab in favour of the lord jab, and overall they probably picked the more valuable one...
Posted by: phreq at April 5, 2007 09:42 AM