Wasps' nest

It's a beautiful thing, my camera doesn't capture the silkiness and intricacy of it. And it buzzes with a steady buzz of all the wasps inside it. A few years ago, I watched from the window of my shed as wasps built their nest under the eaves, and now I hold wasps in great respect. You see them gnawing away at dead wood and they turn that into paper and then build this amazing structure.

If you leave them alone, they leave you alone. The only time that you might get stung is in August when they're tired and have nothing to do. When we sit out, we put a saucer with jam or honey on it, and the wasps gorge themselves, then start fighting each other like drunks coming out of a pub at closing time.