Oh...forgot about THIS one....

Another quick spider story before I start opening up/coming clean about another of my experiences/nightmares.   There are actually several of these and I have been asked to 'share' them all for the sake of other sufferers.  Will begin this next blog.

We did seem to keep choosing houses with more spiders living in or around them than was comfortable for me (but then I only need to see one for that to happen).  Our house in a suburb of Perth (Western Australia) was OK - cannot ever remember seeing any BIG spiders, only Daddy-Long-Legs and Redbacks - both of which are extremely venomous actually but the hideous Huntsman beats them all hands down in my book.  I do recall an incident with a Redback at the above mentioned house in Perth.  I remember seeing this perfect example seemingly sitting comfortably, minding its own business, on a bicycle on our back verandah.  I resorted to my old 'dealing' method again (didn't feel that I had a lot of choice) and told it to stay right where it was and I'd go and get something to kill it.  It was obviously a very good spider - or a very stupid one.  OK so it didn't understand English and I wasn't exactly fluent in spider-speak.  Anyway, needless to say it hadn't moved a leg when I returned with a full can of spray.  So I set to and gave it a quick burst, getting ready to spray again and keep at it until it died - but didn't move at all.  It should have moved - stupid thing.  After all I was firing point blank at it.  Obviously sillier than I thought - so I sprayed again.  And again - no movement whatsoever.  What the heck was this thing?  Its normal big black back with the superb red stripe - was all white and foamy now.  Huh?  So I sprayed again - and again - and again - and kept at it until, believe it or not, I emptied the can.  But not once had it moved - not a muscle.  No prizes for guessing that it had been dead all along.  Hmmmmm.....

Ah....now we did have some horrible spider experiences in all four of the houses we lived in when interstate.  I'll just have to see what I feel like talking about for my next blog - actually, thinking about it, the whole lot would be chalked up to being nightmares.

Ah well....time will tell.  Beware, be very ware and stay tuned.....

AN  AUSTRALIAN  MARITIME  TRAGEDY

157 passengers and crew lost as a result of a severe cyclone (Lua).  Date:  March 1912.  Sounds familiar?  Thoughts of the 'Titanic' are dredged up.

WRONG.  This is not the 'Titanic'.  This is the 'SS Koombana'.  An Australian maritime tragedy that, coincidentally, occurred shortly before that of the 'Titanic', in 1912.  But because of the latter, the former seemingly disappeared into oblivion.

History?  Absolutely.  And a very important part of our history in Australia yet, ask 99.9999999% of the population here if they have ever heard of it and you're more than likely to get a vague look in response.  But mention the 'Titanic' - hmmmm - completely different story.  W.  ONhat an essential part of history it is - how absolutely and disgustingly tragic that it was all but ignored and overlooked because of a similar tragedy that occurred on the other side of the world, just weeks later.  

The 'Koombana' was an Australian ship.  Built in Glasgow it became the pride of the now defunct Adelaide Steamship Company but was lost at sea, thanks to Cyclone Lua, in March 2012.  Sadly and in my opinion, very poorly, little is known and there appears to be an equal lack of interest about it.  

The 'Koombana' was one of our ships - an AUSTRALIAN ship.  Many of the passengers were Australian.

A centenary was held to mark the 100th anniversary of this fateful story at Port Hedland, where the 'Koombana 'was lost.  There has also been a more recent exhibition mounted by the Fremantle Maritime Museum - but it seems none of this is helping to 'educate' the general public about our tragedy, whereas most of them know all about the 'Titanic'.

It appears that the wreck of this ship has never been found - but then not a lot is known in general about this particular ship nor the fateful voyage and it's tragic end.  Whereas there is sooo much information, including at least one movie, about the 'Titanic', which is wonderful for the latter - but why was the 'Koombana; so seemingly overlooked, even by Australians?

Bringing the details of this maritime tragedy to light and giving it the attention and exposure it so badly deserves is absolutely essential - for our history and for the education of Australians.  For those people who lost loved ones.  For everyone.

One couple who lost family members has decided to do just this - they approached me (and none of us will ever know why they did) about it and I am now doing my level best to organise much more exposure, via the media if at all possible (it is an Australian maritime tragedy so why the hell not???) and I am in the process of writing a book about it.  A few things are in the pipeline.

Should there be any media interest at this stage or if anyone has any other information relating to this tragedy, please contact me.  Believe me, it is all very welcome.  

A huge launch will be organised for the release of the book itself.

Watch this blog and my websites for further information as it comes to hand.

MY BIRTHDAY AT BROOME - SUPERB

Life continues to be FANTABULOUS - and no, that wasn't a word, but is now.  We have just been up to Broome, in the north west of Western Australia and had the most superb few days there - for my birthday.  We did a lot of walking, had some wonderful meals, met some fascinating and fantastic locals (or some not so local originally but all seem to live and work in and around Broome and love it) and even found some extraordinary dinosaur footprints.  I love history - it fascinates me but was never remotely interested until I visited the UK 'quite a few' years ago - that's when I really saw history - true history.  All man made and it was and still is fascinating.  But up until visiting Broome I have to admit I had not really appreciated Australia's history - we have been civilised far too recently for my interest.  True - Australia is on one of the oldest continents in the world - but I still didn't really appreciate it - until Broome.  Dinosaur footprints.  That's what did it for me.  Looking at those dinosaur footprints.  And just trying to think - it was rather overwhelming to me.  Yes OK, thinking at all is rather overwhelming for me - but this - these dinosaur footprints.  And the rocks into which they have been embedded - OK that would have been sand back then but the entire thing.  Just amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  For my birthday itself - we visited the most fantastic Indigenous publisher.  Wonderful array of books, all authors Indigenous.  Eldest daughter even gave me a superb Indigenous diary for next year - already in use and so very proud of it.  Picked up several more books too.  Onto watch crocodiles in action when eating - Okkkkkk.  Er...WOW.  Also fascinating but not something I am in a hurry to do when there isn't a solid protective fence separating us.  Hmmmm.  But wouldn't have missed that for the world.  Then onto a camel ride - on Cable Beach.  How absolutely fantastic.  Fantabulous even.  The day complete with a lovely meal with my family in a superb restaurant at Cable Beach, watching the famous sunset there.  What more could a girl want.  How lucky am I?  I've challenged the girls to try to top that for next year.  Pretty hard.  Two days later it was down to Perth and earth with a resounding thump when we returned home.  What a wonderful birthday.  Was also thoroughly spoiled with heaps of FB messages, texts and a few phone calls.  Wonderful.
Bestest (whoa - another new word - hey, I'm on a roll here...)
Byeeeeeee - until next time.

STUFF NIGHTMARES ARE MADE OF

Not spiders this time.  Nope.  Sorry.  This is the stuff nightmares are made of - although spiders do that to me too.  So does deep water - and heights for that matter.  Flying has much the same effect and small spaces.  But this - this was different.  I had a horrible - the most horrible nightmare the other night.  And it wasn't even after watching a horror movie - which I admit that I do enjoy.  They are usually too unrealistic to believe and I generally laugh throughout.  Even those suspense ones that are supposedly modelled on real stories - real events that took place.  Even that I can handle - simply by brainwashing myself to believing that - nahhh - it's all fake.  It might not be fake but telling myself that is the only way I can relax about it.  

But the other night - oh no.  The difference - this one sprang from reality.   MY reality.    Damn it.  And it could happen again.  But that's not stopping me.

As is well known I am fighting bullying.  And again as is equally well known I am a past victim of this.  My book 'Bullseye' is to do with my fight.  And just last year I did an article for one of Australia's national magazines about this - a tiny bit of my own experience was mentioned, but apart from that, I have never really said anything about my own nightmare. 

Recently, I had the wonderful honour of befriending another author in Australia - I am actually establishing contact with quite a lot of authors world wide, some very well known, others new to the business.  All are absolutely fantastic people.  One in particular, when I mentioned her successful debut novel and that I stick to non-fiction as my imagination and creativity usually fail badly if I try to write using those.  This wonderful lady then stunned me and mentioned that her book is based on her life experience.  She then suggested that I do the same thing with my bullying experience.

So I am.  I have begun a novel based on my own experience.  And have realised this is the first time I have really opened up about it.  About the whole thing.  Everything will be revealed in this book which I am hard at work on - a huge labour of love, believe me.  I am currently writing the introduction - taking a walk through my few visits back to the school - and the memories are zooming back.  Some of them really surprising and scaring me - a few incidents which I had completely and absolutely forgotten.  And they didn't necessarily involve my bullies........

JUST TOO DARNED BIG AND HAIRY FOR ME....

I can still remember Mum coming in for breakfast and sporting a monster on her shoulder.  My seat was next to hers and I was the idiot who noticed it - Mum immediately swept it off her shoulder and realising I was in direct firing aim I reversed in one hell of a hurry, knocking down anything and everything in my path.  I was safe though - so was the spider.  It was taken outside and given its freedom.  In summer I was always too scared to move a picture, a curtain, almost anything for fear of disturbing spiders which were probably only hiding cos they were just as scared of me as I was of them.  

I think the first time I noticed another spider away from the station, was, believe it or not, when one was sitting fair in the middle of my bed at boarding school.  It was in a building that I had always felt was new enough not to have spiders anywhere near it - still not sure about my logic with this theory.  But just to deviate momentarily - I realised some years ago that this is one very strong consideration I have always taken into account when looking at possible new homes.  Which, to many, would possibly be very correctly labelled as paranoia - but so what!  Anyway, back to this scenario.  In those days there was a large lack of vegetation around that building and, to my way of thinking, only buildings that are surrounded by lots of vegetation or similar are those that attract spiders - these big, horrible, hairy ones.  So sorta got the fright of my life (OK - another fright of my life) when I walked into that dormitory and saw that - thing - standing in the middle of my bed.  I don't remember anything more than going into a complete 'spaz attack', the sort of which would normally have me committed.  To this day, knowing how well I was liked among my peers (ie I wasn't) I do suspect that the spider was actually planted.  I'll never know.

Stay tuned.

AND ANOTHER ONE.......

Believe me these Huntsman spiders could grow to be the most gigantic sizes.  Another I recall was on the ground just outside our then station office.  It was my favourite day of the week - Saturday - mail day - YES.  The long awaited mail bag had arrived and I was about to enter the office when I saw yet another - thing - right in front of me, on the ground.  It was one very pregnant spider - well, it was either pregnant or dangerously obese.  Poor thing (make the most of the sympathy, spider) could barely move and was trying to make its way to the nearest pole or wall for safety.  This sympathy got the better of me because I was actually prepared to allow it to find its haven of safety - OK so I was too scared to move - but did keep an eagle eye on it and didn't move until it stopped.  But the whole problem was suddenly 'solved' when one of my brothers came up behind me and asked what was wrong.  He hadn't seen the spider (he must have been blind - how in the hell could he miss it) and as he didn't actually stop walking, stepped right on the mother to be.  Now I have never witnessed anything like this before - what seemed like thousands and thousands of teensy weensy spiders just spread out like a great black blanket.  And up everything in sight - including my legs.  Not exactly a pleasant experience but at least they didn't scare me anything like their mother would have had she tried that and I got rid of many of them, accidentally on purpose, just by stomping around.  In hindsight I realise this was actually incredibly cruel of me but at the time all I could think about was the fact that they were only little babies and would eventually grow up into monsters, like their mother.  And their father - now where in the heck was he?  No thanks.  While I did kill many of them there was not a chance in hell that I killed the lot.

But wait - there's still more - stay tuned -

'THE THING'.........

I can vividly remember 'making' a deal with one spider (hereon known as 'the thing').  The scene?  My first bedroom on the station.  I was going to bed and was about to turn off my lamp when something caught my eye - on the wall opposite me, above my dressing table.  I looked up and - holy heck, it was huge - ABSOLUTELY MAMMOTH.   It was moving around a bit - not that it needed to to catch my eye - it's size was enough to cause nightmares - actually just being a spider - any spider would have been enough to make me vacate the room completely, no contest.  They would win on sight.  But this night I must have been incredibly brave, or stupid, or tired - or - something, possibly a mix of the whole lot.  Instead of very quietly edging out of bed and the room (trying not to disturb it with my movement - I mean, hell these things could leap tall buildings in a single leap - I'm sure of it) for some reason which will always remain a mystery to me I found myself 'bargaining' with the thing.  I told it that I would not get someone to remove it as long as it stayed away from me - yea right.  In fact I think my reason was simply the fear that it could leap tall buildings - or at least across my room and land on me - if I dared to try to move.  There was just too much space between that door and me and I really could not take that chance.  That there were three times that much space between the thing and me was irrelevant.  And with that deal firmly (no hand shaking - no thanks) in place I very stupidly turned off my bed light and went to sleep.  Not quite sure how I slept with the knowledge that I was still in the same room as the thing.  All I can think is that in this deal making bit I must have successfully brainwashed myself enough to be able to relax - or I am incredibly stupid.  Well, something worked because next thing I knew it was next morning, sun was up and - wow - lo and behold - there was no sign of the thing.  YES.  So, feeling very happy and proud of myself (not really occurring to me to try to find the thing) I bounced up, dressed and started making my bed - which was against a wall so I had to move it out in order to make it.  Now I think anyone and everyone else in the world would pretty well have guessed what happened next - but not me - oh no.  I was patting myself too much on the back for my bargaining powers.  I had almost finished making the bed - and it still hadn't occurred to me to try to find the thing - when I suddenly looked down - and - no prizes for guessing - there it was.  With the bed pulled away from it it was stretching out a couple of its hideous legs trying to find something to grab on to.  I must have been brushing it every time I went around to make the bed - how I hadn't seen it is absolutely beyond me - I mean it was just tooooo big and waay too ugly to miss - surely?  Another blood curdling scream.  Sheer terror had me rooted to the spot this time - I could not move - not a muscle.  When my legs finally did decide to move of their own accord there was no stopping them - they took off - straight into the closed door.  I cannot remember any pain whatsoever - all I could think was that the thing was somewhere behind me, either leaping tall building or at least through the air - or just hiding.  Damn thing had not kept its part of the deal and for that it would pay - provided I could find it again.  We did - eventually.  And many will be pleased to know that whoever my saviour was picked it up with dust pan and broom and took it out into the garden - and put it down, just in time for a nearby bird to swoop and grab it.

But wait - there's more - stay tuned -