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When I asked R what he wanted to do to celebrate the Big Birthday, he decided on a few days in London doing touristy things with me, followed by a family meal out on the day itself. We lived in … Continued

This poor, tatty Gatekeeper butterfly isn’t long for this world, I fear – it was moving so slowly this afternoon that I had no trouble keeping up with it. It was drinking from a blackberry flower. After a busy day … Continued

A couple of times in the past few weeks I’ve seen something in the village that looked like a black and red butterfly, but which research suggested was probably a Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae). Then I saw a photo of … Continued

Common perhaps, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen one. I was standing in the kitchen doorway, listening to the sound of someone nearby repeatedly revving what I think was the outboard motor of a dinghy and wishing I … Continued

This is an idea I shamelessly stole from Ingeborg – well, they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We live in a large, old and unecological house; my study is on the first floor, and R’s is … Continued

If I decide to give up photography and put all my camera stuff on eBay, this will be the photo that did for me. I’ve not had a great day, one way and another – all too boring, so I’ll … Continued

Also called sunchoke, sunroot, or in French topinambour. It’s a member of the sunflower family, and its edible tuber is commonly called the Jerusalem artichoke – though it’s not an artichoke and has no connection with Jerusalem. The plant is … Continued

I had a busy day today, but thoroughly enjoyable. This morning I met a friend for coffee, and we put the world to rights for a very pleasant hour and a half. Then, after finding new parking, I ran some … Continued

What a day! I completed my first ever tax return on line. I know. Yes, I really am as old as you think I am – but please don’t scoff.  The thing is that for years my tax affairs were … Continued

The engineer arrived at about 11am to fix the tumble dryer, so I was able to get out for a walk with the dogs before noon. I discovered that it’s quite difficult operating a DSLR one-handed because you’ve got two … Continued