I saved a little life today.

Every life is important - my Mum used to tell me that.

This morning I was in the shower and a daddy long legs spider dangled at me from the ceiling. I told him to go back up, that the water would kill him, and he hesitantly went back up his single thread to the ceiling.

Then he started moving across the ceiling and I was so worried he would fall and drown (or worse - that he would fall on me ). I flicked water at him and shooed him away. He reluctantly moved off.

but he came back! I flicked more water at him and he moved back again.

Next thing I know he has come back across and has fallen right into the shower. He landed in a pocket of water at the bottom of the bath and looked to be drowning. So quick as a flash I picked him up , as carefully as I could, and placed him on a sponge that was sitting next to the bath. He didn't look to be moving. I blew on him gently - nothing.

I thought he must have been exhuasted, and maybe had to rest. Perhaps it had all been too much and he had died.

I left him and came back just before I left for work, and he was still there, he hadn't moved a leg. I blew on him gently and he moved a leg. He was still alive! I willed him to get up, but he was too exhausted.

I left him with a hollow heart.

Coming home tonight - I went to look - he was gone!

Then I looked , and sitting in the corner of the ceiling, there he was - proud and strong and very much alive. Yay - a little life saved. I hope he learnt his lesson and won't venture into the shower again unless he is sure he is safe. silly spider (I am happy you survived).

If you haven't seen a daddy long legs - here is a pic. They are quite big - if you stretched his legs out he would probably be a good 10cm square. Very venonmous, but they rarely bite humans. You wouldn't want to be another spider though. They are great in the house because you know if you see them, you won't have any other venomous spider in the house - he would have cleaned them up!.