An unusual visitor

 

THIS - a Horntail Sawfly or Giant Woodwasp)-  Urocerus gigas - nearly flew into me yesterday afternoon.  Fortunately it landed on the Fig tree instead, and did a rapid turn around and flew off.  Jeepers.  It's a big bugg*r!  Fortunately what looks like a sting, is its Ovipositor for laying eggs in pine trees.  Many thanks to wobam.co.uk for their photograph.  They sell it dead, and mounted, for collectors.

Yesterday I had a busy day, stripping the bed, putting washing on and hanging it up, the usual vacuuming upstairs, and sorting out the central repair block for the quilt I got at auction.  I will take that along to my patchwork group tomorrow and get Alex's advice on how to put it back in!  Then out in the garden, potting on cucumbers and tomatoes, deadheading roses, cutting back spent Aquilegias and weeding then putting down some bark chippings.  My right knuckles are sore this morning.  Then suddenly at 7.30 p.m. I suddenly realized I hadn't finished making up my bed (did half in the morning).  Hate it when that happens!  I also embroidered another little square in my intuitive daily stitching - planning some more later.

I wiped down the tea caddy, ready to be polished when my order of Boiled Linseed Oil and also Danish oil arrives.  I glued the stretchers on both the WIndsor Chairs, and pulled them tight with zip ties, which can come off this morning.  They have been in the dip tank, which hasn't helped them, so will need a good oiling to feed them and bring some colour back.

I booked for a local Antiques Fair for Sunday, then realized an hour later that it was Malvern, so have had to cancel.  It hadn't been advertised locally - just on their Facebook page, so don't know about footfall. Father's Day though, so may have been ok.  Anyway, Malvern takes presidence.