Saving the world, one bug at a time

Sunshine today at last - and within about 10 minutes I was complaining about how it was too hot to sit and have my breakfast outside. Some people: never happy!

Another decent haul from the pool filters today - several dragonflies, four crickets (all different colours), a bright green beetle and this poor bedraggled butterfly. I was intending to do a composite shot of all of them... but haven't for reasons that will become clear.

This butterfly seemed like a goner. Soaking wet wings stuck together and one leg gone. We moved it onto a dry bit of deck in the sunshine, just in case, and sure enough it started twitching so I gave it a stick to grab onto and lifted it onto the lavender. I had to blow on its wings for a while until they were dry enough that he could support their weight, but then he seemed fine. He was gone when I went back 15 minutes later: maybe something came and gobbled him up, but I prefer to think that he was off bothering flowers somewhere.

We spent the afternoon clearing out the garage (full of builder's junk) and taking it all to the tip. A curiously bureaucratic place, the French tip: you are greeted by a man with a clipboard who asks what you have and then points out where everything should go ("Metal goes in the skip over there [pointing]." "Do you mean the one with the big sign in front of it saying 'Metal'?" and so on. But you can't be sarcastic or you won't be allowed to use the tip. Really.) Today's man with a clipboard was quite young and slim, and wearing the skimpiest shorts. He looked like he'd have been more at home as a redcoat in a racy holiday camp. I felt it best not to suggest that to him.

Some friends arrived from London in the evening (Aunty R studied zoology, specialising in insects, so we were able to plague her with questions about bugs - most of which she answered by saying "Well, it's some kind of beetle". Fair enough really - there are a lot of kinds.) They had brought lots of fine wines and the evening turned into a very late one. We made plans to go to the market 'very early' this morning. Hmmmm. No-one else has surfaced yet (well, the kids have obviously or I wouldn't be up).

So, that's why I'm posting this at 9 on Saturday morning, and that's why you're not getting a fiddly composite of lots of dead/recuperating insects.

I'm off now for my third cup of very strong tea and to see if I can find some stronger sunglasses.