Beasties

Todays boring post concerns Bluebottles.  Yes those nasty large flys that usually come in one window, 

flutter around and depart by the way they entered.  This week life has been different.  All week such beasties have entered by the back window, moved to the main window, and remained there.

Now this happens often with worker Bees, and as far as I can make out a hive has found a home in our attic, thus Bees are coming in regularly.  These beasts need help escaping, bluebottles usually just wish to run away.  This is not happening now.  Every time I look up there are three or four wandering across the glass, none appear capable of returning or seeking to return by the way they entered.  This I keep having to rise, open the window, let in the draught, it is chilly today, and force them out.

I wonder why they are doing this, instead of escaping?

Is it the weather?  Do they think it is Spring?  Are they Donald Trump supporters?  I am bemused, this has not occurred before.  What is more bemusing is the removal of anything they could eat.  All rubbish has been dumped, what is bringing them in?  

It is all very confusing for a Saturday.

Through in the west wing I found this wee boy hanging about the window.  I am actually happy to see him, whatever kind or size of spider he may be, as this is a better way to curtain the other less welcome beasties that can be found at this time of year.  

I cleared away some old webs the other day, clearly there are areas that see few unwelcome guests, and am happy to allow such as he where he can settle in for a while.  One or two webs have been found in the same spot for years, clearing the enemy from the house and keeping a 'Boris the Spider' quite happy.  My only other worry about these creatures is finding a quite large spider, then not knowing where it went!  

St Petersburg

Sunday Blether

The Bees and the beasties have been making the most of the times.  The gardens are full of bright coloured flowers inviting them to feed and investigate.  They are also full of midge like flies and kids, I am not sure which is worse.  

 

 

In between the thunder, lightning and rain we see blue sky around here.  Up north they are melting in the heat, fires are seen in woodland areas, not helped by idiot campers and their fires, and firemen are busy everywhere.  

London meanwhile is again flooded, the thunder round here was the edge of the storm, we were lucky.  In the south east heavy rain filled rivers and streams, underground passages flooded, as indeed did railway stations and the Underground.  The heavy rain we saw passed away quickly enough.

 

Climate change is real, whatever people say, and worldwide we are facing heat, rain and conditions which we are unable to control.  Russia suffers forest fires and soaring heat, Germany endure heavy rain and floods, all unusual for the time.  Whatever the cause it is time we opened our eyes to the problem, but as usual money talks.

Heading home as rain began to fall these three RAF aircraft flew over in formation.  I think these are 'Chipmunk' aircraft, they used to be the first line in RAF training but things may have changed.  It is also possible these are overflying some event (can you under fly an event?) and may no longer be official RAF planes.  Nice to see however, though I noticed the passing women gave no thought to the craft above, tsk!

 

 

I have had problems with the Blogs.  Some of the War Memorials cannot be found, though I can reach them.  Google tells me this is a problem they can fix.  However, as it involved the mobile phone this meant I had to reset the thing.  This has been having problems recently, I lost all my numbers, and other things fell apart, so a reset was required.  Naturally, since getting the phone they have altered everything and it took ages to work out what I was doing, much still has to be done.  Tomorrow I need to investigate the 'robots' problem, whatever that is, which needs fixing also.  This would be easy if I knew what they were talking about!  I am in an area of which I know nothing.  With my technical ability I could lose everything, especially my mind, by nightfall.  

Busy Day.

Over four hundred kids plus mums came through the museum today, over 400!
One of the trails involves the younger ones seeking five different pictures each with a tray of sticky labels to attach to sheet. The stickies had disappeared!  This meant finding the sheets of new ones and cutting them up, but there were too few, someone had forgotten to order them.  Panic cutting while the crowds came in.  Mums pushing pushchairs, childminders with a tribe of tots, Grans and Granddads being hauled along by sweet angelic children, they said, all crowding in while I cut the sheets and attempted to fill the trays while the kids were cheerfully emptying them quicker than I could cut them.
The other trails required pencils, so mums took pencils for all kids, including those who could not write,meaning we had run out of them soon enough.  Someone sought pencils, sharpened others found in strange places (how do kids get them in there?) and one women began to moan in a manner that could have resulted in cynical remarks had she been near me, luckily she was not in my area.  
The exotic animals, snakes, frogs and things were on show but the crowd had to wait and the queue came back into the centre of the museum.  The kids did well while waiting, especially as I kept ploughing through them to fill wee trays with stickies while others went from one event to another.
Just after noon it began to quieten down.  Lunch helped lessen the flow.  
Another decent event, much fun with the kids, they were happy, the mums were happy and the staff exhausted.  Still that is what keeps us going...

Flying Beast!

Found one of these flying around the room last night, attracted by the light.

I am now hiding in the basement!

Thoughts For the Day...

Questions must be asked about Ladybirds.  
This one here landed on the window and began to climb up the woodwork.  Why?  
The creature has wings so why not fly to the top rather than slowly struggle upwards on your feet,  especially when every so often you fall back again? 
Does he know where he is going?  What is he looking for?  Does he think the white painted woodwork on the window will feed him perhaps?  
Some beasties may be colour blind I suppose but if so why do plants/flowers have such a variety of colour?  
On another subject why do fly's come in the window and hover around the lampshade? Is it because it is er, cooler in the shade?  Why not stay outside in the wind?  Why fly in straight lines changing every so often to different directions?  Don't they get dizzy?  Bluebottles fly in desperate to get out again, why not fly's?

I have been working too hard, you can tell....

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Beasties.

As the Christmas shoppers have unlimited cash, or so it appears, the shopping centres do their best to bring them in with a wide variety of attractions, usually those that attract the kids.  Today our centre once again went for animals, a goat which as I passed later was standing on a hay bale with the kind of expression that spoke of conquering the entire world, a couple of ducks in a basin of water but quite happy and ponies, chickens and lots of people.  The people I must add were visiting the centre, not stuck inside the fenced of areas with the animals, although this might be an idea worth considering.  There was an aroma emanating from this area but it kept down the aroma of the locals so that was OK.

Now it is late, I am sleepy and my restful mind is being tested by the woman next door.  She has been cooking MEAT!  Once again the fragrance of roast beef is filling the place and I am sitting here nourished badly, a mere seven stone weakling, while she stuffs herself with proper food and I suspect with gravy and all the trimmings.   She must do it for spite!  I will drift off into sleep and dream of meat all night now.  Bah! 

The sun however did reappear today leaving bright golden leaves on the trees.

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Beasties

The picture is not perfect as it was taken at a distance, a long distance, from where this chap was 'entertaining' the kids with beasties.  What you cannot see are the crowds of kids shuffling forwards to touch the great white brute he has around his neck.  All of them were keen to be entwined by this, er... thing. When I was a lad we knew better and kept well away and instead looked for furry creatures like cats and dogs certainly not snakes!  
It gets worse!
Among the beasties there were iguana type things, including ans Australian dragon.  A creature that survives in the desert.  I rather liked him, but there again I am used to dragons, and Aussie ones as well!  He was cute but as I said it gets worse, several of the kids were photographed with the tarantula sitting on their head!  No thaaannnk yeeewwww I and several others were heard to say as we made our way to the door.  As can be expected the kids had a wonderful time and the adults have difficulty sleeping.  Every movement just out of eyeline is a beastie on the make!  

   

No 11 Downing Street.  The Chancellor of the Exchequer lives here.......

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Meet Fred

This is Fred.  For the past few days the wonderful, enjoyable, sizzling heat, which will no doubt cause all sorts of pains later, has led me to keep all the windows open to some extent.  How lovely that is you rich folks in warm climes will never comprehend.  However with such benefits as heat the open window sees many bluebottles pass through in the mistaken belief that herein lies a MacDonald's, Indian takeaway or council rubbish tip.  They may be near the mark with the last one mind.  These beasties usually seek the quickest way out when approached, fly's however, called walks if you tear their legs off I suppose, hover around the lamp dangling in the middle of the room for ever and ever I find.  Quite why they follow such irregular patters in flight I know not but I certainly do know they avoid rolled up newspapers very expertly indeed.  

Fred however comes into a different category.  For one I have no idea what he, although intellectual he aint, and for two it may not be him, it may be lots of him, about that I am not sure.  Let me explain.  

The kitchen window opens from the bottom, day by day I have found Fred trapped inside the window, when open, without the wherewithal to sink down two inches and fly away.  Instead he rushes around getting frustrated by his inability to get through thin air which is so hard beneath him.  His mum never explained glass to him.  Daily I have been using my hand, or a small piece of paper, to guide him down about two inches to the freedom of the skies.  Sometimes I do this several times yet he never appears to learn.  Constantly he returns, constantly I help him out.  he will never meet a Mrs Beastie like this!   I canny understand why he does not avoid the window, indeed I am not sure where he comes from.  Maybe there is a nest of these just below my line of sight under the window?  Maybe he is not Fred but lots of Freds?  There is no doubt they are all daft if that is the case.

In the Democratic Congo folks are killing one another, Syria sees hundreds die daily, Egypt is in a ferment, Christians in Vietnam, North Korea, all the nations with 'Khan' in their name and in the middle east are being tortured or persecuted, hospitals fill with the sick waiting for aid, accidents occur or roads daily, economic plight keeps millions awake, yet I worry about Fred?  

Sometimes I wonder about me, I really do....... 

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