The Game of Life

Has there ever been a game more representative of our lives than snakes and ladders? Never mind swings and roundabouts, both those things are fun! The very way it moves, snaking around in decades, I'm somewhere in the middle of this board in real life, and I think I must have landed on a snake's tale today. I've been on a Spring-clean-bender, I was madly brushing away at the walls in the exterior laundry, when I looked up, and saw the most enormous red back spider above my head, near the light fitting. It's the biggest I've ever seen, actually it's the only one I've ever seen.

I downed tools instantly, and can't go back in there till the man of the house comes home and removes it, then hopefully, I'll jump back on a ladder and ride that thing all the way to the top, without encountering too much 'pugnacity' along the way!