Monthly Archives: December 2011

A patterned moth

Posted on Saturday, 31 December 2011 by

I have no idea which moth this is, but I like the pattern. It’s on my shower curtain. Update: Thanks to Denis for the ID: Cosmodes elegans. I am astonished when I find such small but intriguing creatures – there … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land | Tagged | 2 Comments

Merry Christmas … and a batty New Year!

Posted on Thursday, 29 December 2011 by

My friend Cath has a squadron (is that the collective noun?) of microbats under her house. There must have been a couple hundred of these little cuties all snuggled up together. I admit ignorance of the species – there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Travels | Tagged | 7 Comments

A silver star for Christmas

Posted on Wednesday, 28 December 2011 by

Best Christmas present! This glaucus washed up by the heavy seas courtesy of the cyclone up north … Glaucus atlanticus, a nudibranch, floats on the surface of the ocean, along with other members of the “blue brigade“. It can wriggle … Continue reading →

Posted in The sea | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

A not yet stinky stinkhorn

Posted on Monday, 19 December 2011 by

This fungus is in the paddock at the moment, in a very dry spot. I’m hoping it will uncurl and be easier to identify, but I’m guessing it’s a not yet unfolded Clathrus archeri. They apparently smell vile (hence the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Praying mantis egg case

Posted on Monday, 19 December 2011 by

I was chasing the neighbour’s flock of six sheep out the gate yesterday – I don’t know why I bother because their wool insulates them from the effects of our electric fence so they come back in again. And they … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects | Tagged | 4 Comments

An adventure in time (part 2)

Posted on Monday, 19 December 2011 by

8 July 2008: Uffington White Horse and Castle, Wayland’s Smithy, Woodhenge and Stonehenge After breakfast we drove, then walked up from the car park to the White Horse of Uffington. You can’t actually see the whole of the horse from … Continue reading →

Posted in Travels | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

An adventure in time (part 1)

Posted on Thursday, 15 December 2011 by

6 July 2008: Dragon’s Eye Tour of West Country of England Arriving by plane from Oslo in the afternoon, I met Christine and the rest of the tour group at Heathrow airport in London. I normally don’t do tours, preferring … Continue reading →

Posted in Travels | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Too fast in Oslo

Posted on Wednesday, 14 December 2011 by

2 July 2008: Flight to Brunei, Dubai, London, Oslo I got up at 5.30 a.m. to drive to Brisbane international airport at 9.45 a.m. Christine was at the Royal Brunei check-in to meet me. The aircraft was blessed before take-off … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Travels | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Shellter Project

Posted on Tuesday, 13 December 2011 by

No, that’s not bad spelling (me, a professional editor, bad spelling? Nah! ), but the name of a 3D printing project. Apparently hermit crabs are popular pets. As they grow, they need to trade up to larger shells, and their … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, The sea | Tagged | Leave a comment

The psychological benefits of snails

Posted on Tuesday, 13 December 2011 by

I just finished reading “The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating” by Elizabeth Tova Bailey. It is very charmingly written and one of those books where you learn lots painlessly – this time about land snails. The author did not … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Books, Molluscs | Tagged | 6 Comments