Blackberries Grow on Trees

We have had such a good crop of fruit this year, especially Victoria plums and blackberries. I have even made jam for the first time. I'd helped my Mam in the past but have never made any solo.
Such a lot has happened since my last post and I have photos to share but I must get today's events over with first.

£$ Today

Am I really old enough to have a son of £$ years old?
Mentally, no!
As my birthday was only 2 weeks ago I was able to use my birthday present from my hubby to make this card for Adam. He has two cats, one black, the other grey tabby and white, hence some of the design choices for the card.

Is it a shape changer?

Yesterday my car looked like this.
Today it looks like this!


Poor old MGB, a well loved car. It made me sad to part with it. I have enjoyed buzzing around in it and it was easy to find in carparks. At 34 years old 'she' is no longer reliable, has to hibernate for the winter to save her paintwork and is worryingly unreliable.

Brother in law's Birthday Card

As we all know it is difficult to choose or make a card for a man, unless they have a hobby and you have the relevant stamps. Well for once I did and I made this card for my bro in law Bob's 65th birthday.
When we spoke to him on the day he was actually going to take one of his home tutored students on a fishing trip!
It's my birthday tomorrow and our youngest, Chris, has already given me this wonderful bunch of flowers. I guessed they were for my birthday, but no wishes came with them, so maybe not!
Chris himself was an early birthday present 29 years ago - his birthday is today!

A Female Hatches

Great news, A female moth had hatched this morning. She's even bigger than the male and a beautiful specimen.
Unfortunately, the male had died already! Perhaps the hot weather meant a shorter life.
Another caterpillar spun its cocoon the day after this female, So keep your fingers crossed that it is a mate for her.

The Morning After

I really wish I could see this moth fly but I will have to wait until he has a mate or the next male hatches.
When I got up this morning he had obligingly moved onto the side of the container, giving me the opportunity to take a shot of his underwings. Perhaps he is saying 'I look great from any angle'.
I'm afraid the pics have no great definition but they have been taken through a plastic lid! Hopefully those I take when he is 'free' will be much better.

A Wonderful Surprise

I was just getting ready to go to bed when I saw that something special had happened. The first of my Japanese silk moths, Antheraea Yamamai, had hatched. I'm sure he wasn't there this morning or even lunch time when I was tidying in the dining room.
What a beautiful creature, yellow, golden yellow and light tan, with hairy legs and large leaf like antenae. The antenae are what tell me it's a male. His body is nearly as big as the cocoon he emerged from. It must have been a tight squeeze in there!
I have three more cocoons. Let's hope the next to hatch is a mate for him.

His wings have a span of 6 inches.
The small moth at the bottom of the picture is one of the Bombyx Mori, so small in comparison, even though there was not much difference in cocoon size.