So we’re all going to be poor for the rest of our lives, comparatively poor in any case.

Right, well let’s have a look at the nice picture.

It’s not a very good picture.  Difficult to spot, right in the middle, is a small, rather dull-looking spider.  Despite the visceral shudder that goes through me at the sight of spiders, I have a lot of affection for them – almost as much as I have for worms.

The spider is one of the great cleaner-uppers of our planet.  They pad about the place hoovering up all sorts of mites and weeny pests that would otherwise over-proliferate and upset the balance of life.  They are dignified, quiet and self-possessed in their solitary mission.  And they trap all sorts in their extraordinary webs.

Those wonderful webs.  They are made of a material stronger, weight for weight, than steel, and are essentially a mesh made up of some of the very few straight lines that nature has to offer.  When the web gets broken, the spider just fixes it.  Continue reading →