Black with yellow stripes

That was the colour code this afternoon on Blackpool Sands. The forecast rain never materialised, so - cloudy though it was - we again spent some happy family time on the beach. Didn't swim today, though; the wind made it a bit cooler and the waves a bit bigger.

But it's been a day of a couple of interesting finds on the beach. First, in my Extra, a coven - or perhaps a conference - of wasps. They seemed to have found a sweet spot on the beach. Interesting to watch them gather.

Then our daughter spotted this caterpillar among the pebbles. I moved it on a pebble to a safer place, among higher grasses on the rocks, so that the tide wouldn't wash it away. I believe it's a Fox Moth caterpillar (Macrothylacia rubi).

Little Miss B had a wonderful time in the pebbly sand and wanted to climb the rocks. Her daddy climbed up and we made a human chain to pass her up to him. She grinned happily from on high with her mummy and daddy. Again, the poor weather worked in our favour, in that it made the beach less crowded, although there were plenty of families spread out across the bay.

Blipping this with half-an-hour of today left, having back-blipped yesterday's jellyfish.

Tomorrow the family head off again, so I hope to catch up on blipmates' journals. That's if I can stay awake long enough! Tiring all this grannying lark!