A new species for me and my square. Caught at light (160w MVB).
A new species for me and my square. Caught at light (160w MVB).
One of two caught. The best night by far this year, with 37 macro species and year firsts of Fen Wainscot (one of my fave moths), Brimstone and Marbled Beauty.
Until this evening, I had rarely been on YouTube, just followed the odd link from other blogs etc, but searching for Mock the Week content took me to the dark side of the net. But . . . if I can find gems like this from immenstrides I'll be heading back! That even sounds like Mark Gatiss (he of League of Gentlemen fame) doing the narration. I could imagine him putting this together.
Dara O'Briain \ host of Mock the Week \ don't miss the line about the planner! "You don't even build the houses, you just say, 'Well, that'll fucking fall down" (from Live at the Theatre Royal 1/9). We saw him live a couple of years ago and he was a riot. His improv with the front row is superb! Be warned - don't sit in the front row of a Dara gig!
Russell Howard \ regular Mock the Week guest \ another great pussy gag in part I and the fox routine in part II is side splitting!
Frankie Boyle \ regular Mock the Week guest \ some crackin', and some definately non-PC, snippets from Mock the Week! Wait for the haunted pussy gag! We're off to see him in October.
When I got one of these the other day for my birthday, I thought I'd only use it on trips. Far from it! I charged it up the other day, sticking it on to on of the front window using the included suction cup, and have already charged my Blackberry. The Solia is back in the window recharging ready to charge the Blackberry up again. So, far from using it only on trips, I'm going to continue to charge by phone up for free using the sun.
I found one of these bees yesterday working an old screw hole in the house wall. Then this lunchtime I noticed more activity than usual around the insect box. Closer inspection found at least leaf-cutter bees Megachile centuncularis. The book says that this species is a rose specialist, and sure enough, less than ten feet away I found these holes in a rose bush! I watched the larger of the two insects fly to another rose and suprisingly collected part of the pink petal rather than a leaf - clearly a designer leaf-cutter bee!
One of my favourite species, and the first for 2008. Caught at light (22w actinic).
I never tire of catching elephants - big or small. I catch Elephant annually but have to date only caught a single Small Elephant. Caught at light (160 MVB).Poplar Hawkmoth, Farcet Fen, 12 July 08 
The commonest Hawkmoth here, but still stunning. Caught at light (160 MVB).
Brown-line Bright-eye, Farcet Fen, 13 July 08
I can catch upwards of 20 Bright-line Brown-eyes a night, but this is only my fourth Brown-line Bright-eye. Caught at light (22w actinic).
First off. I'm in a feckin foul mood! Why? We'll, I had just spent 45 mins typing this post (well, not this one, but one just like it), adding links and pics etc only for the feckin laptop to decide it wanted to turn itself off without warning! Oh computers - we love 'em, but we don't half hate the bastards too!
however looks like it is. Pies and Prejudice, in search of the North by Stuart Maconie. So, what do I think is so special about this book? Well, just reading the cover whetted my appetite. I know you shouldn't pay too much heed to the cleverly edited quotes and crafted publisher's blurb on covers, but it does seem to bode well. Peter Kay (you know, the chubby northern comedian who shouts and sweats a lot and tells 'jokes' about real life stuff such as 'the big light' and like Maconie and me, he's a northern sort - actually you could probably throw a hankie over the area where Stu, Pete and me were raised - OK, a blanket) says, very simply, on the cover 'Bloody crackin'. Nice. The Sunday Times (ooh!) says 'an heir to Alan Bennett . . . stirring and rather wonderful'. Now this is a back-handed compliment from where I'm sat. At the literary level its pretty good being compared to Mr Bennett, but, on a northern level, in particularly at the Roses level, this is not something that I as a Lancastrian can agree with - being compared to a White Rose Yorkie! Nope, and forgive me for speaking on your behalf Stuart, if The Sunday Times reviewer doesn't get the north enough to know the difference between the red and the white side of the Pennines, then they aren't qualified to review a book about t'north. I said you had to be careful about the cover blumph didn't I! I expect Stu's book has at least a mention of the War of the Roses and how we keep up the pretence on the cricket field. I love the fact that my Nan is 'real Yorkshire' and three of her four grandchildren are Lancs! OK, rant over, and turning to the back cover, The Times starts to get carried away a little (at least no northern faux pars) - 'The new Bill Bryson [just an antipidean faux par - exusable]. If he keeps this up he'll be on the National Treasure list pretty soon'. I'm pretty sure they're not referring to the awful Nick Cage film either, so this sounds like reasonable praise too. Oh, but what of the publisher - what do they say? Well, thats the bit I really like (I think I'm meant too - it is after all called the 'sell'). It states -
Moving swiftly on to the electric bug zapper! Oh yes! Oh no! I can hear the lilly-livered fly-loving liberals among you reaching for the reply button! Just let me explain. We live in the fens. Fens = swamp. Swamp = swampy things. Swampy things = flies. Millions of the feckers! And its serious when you can't see out of a window cos its is quite literally covered in fruit flies. So our house is full of various anti-fly devices - sticky traps, those violet lamp zappers, an Alessi Dr Skud fly swatter (my personal favourite) and now, possibly soon-to-be-favourite, an approved electric racket-style swatter! Two AA batteries and hours of fun. Even better in the semi-dark (I know, fly-hinting purists among you know its not always the best light conditions to hunt flies) when on each fly contact with the electried racket head parks fly as fly fries! Top marks!Another great device (you never knew I was a such gadget nurd did you) Liz got me was my own little solar charger for all things rechargable and portable - cameras, mobile phone (thats a handy for all my German friends), iPod, etc, etc - a Solio solar charger. Its currently stuck to the front window. Yes I know its dark, but by the end of tomorrow it will be fully charged and ready to go to top up any of my rechargable devices. It might not get bags of use here at home (cos we's got dat ting called lectricity) but when travelling abroad in the likes of up river Gambia and the genny dies, it will be a boon!Boy, I nearly forgot! Guess who's got tickets for Frankie Boyle at the Peterborough Broadway in October? Thank you very much!!
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis larveaLike our new hole in our floor? Hear what the man from building control said here. 
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The Leicester Llamas are back! Well, one of them is anyway - so, its welcome back The Leicester Llama. This Llama didn't actually ever go anywhere. He's always been there just with the demise of the original Llamas line up, he hasn't been filling the net with their anarchic views of birding of late. Those who used to love creasing themselves at images such this (but make sure you check the Llamas history out for full mirthage) can laugh some more as mucker Andy Mackay (he of artist fame inc. our joint venture Watching British Dragonflies) has resurfaced as The Leicester Llama. Andy's lost none of his observational bent - just check out Britain's commonest bird and pager messages you rarely see. Classic Llama mirth! Nice t osee the llama using quality optics too!
Not suprisingly, for a relatively open arable fen, this is only the fifth record here, with all the others caught in June-July 06. Certainly one of my favourite species and highlights the joys of moth trapping when you open the lid and among all those regulars is something as stunning as this, albeit a relatively common species. Caught at light (160w MVB).
Another scarcity for me, this is only my fourth record, all the others caught in June-July 05. I love the way some moths melt into backgrounds such as this. Caught at light (160w MVB).
