personal, thoughts

Unblogged August

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A few things from the last month which I didn’t otherwise write about …

Saturday 1
Just how did we get to August?!

Sunday 2
After 10 years this is apparently the last year that the UCL group are doing the Big Wasp Survey. So of course today I had to set my two traps for this years first round, which means I think I’ve taken part in all 10 years! It’s been a wonderful, and very interesting piece of citizen science which has already enabled several academic publications.

Monday 3
We now have five ripe yellow chillies.Five hot lemon yellow chilliesI’m not sure it’s going to be a bumper year, but a few will be good, although we have loads in the freezer.

Tuesday 4
A miracle! 16:30 this afternoon. RAIN! Only a five minute shower but it’s the first we’ve seen in literally weeks. An odd distant rumble of thunder too. Followed by bright sunshine.

Thursday 6
Phew! Monthly finances day – again. And thankfully we’re solvent again this month. As I had hoped, I even managed to put away the small legacy I got from my aunt.

Sunday 9
Wasp traps taken in today. For once this year wasps in both traps. The trap by the pond was especially good with three common wasps (Vespula vulgaris), but also what look like four either parasitic wasps or sawflies – I can’t identify which. The latter are on the right of the image.Three common wasps and four unidentified parasitic wasps or sawfliesSadly nothing more exciting.

Monday 10
It’s dusk. And our local robin is still singing its heart out in the garden.

Tuesday 11
So having finished the new pavements in the whole road last week, the guys came along this morning and ripped up the area of dropped curb in front of my neighbour’s. Why? I suspect because he didn’t like what they’d done (it was actually OK) and moaned.

Wednesday 12
Solar eclipse day. Sadly not a total eclipse here, but about 95%. And for once I managed to see an astronomical event; there was a clear blue sky and nothing to intervene. Obviously I had got the correct viewing shades. Very nice to watch, especially around maximum. I remember the 1999 eclipse (also only partial) although that day was partly cloudy, so one got some view, without shades, through the cloud. In both cases it was very obvious from the surprising dimming of the light.

Thursday 13
So Heathrow has fallen from being the busiest airport in Europe. Good! Not only do we have to significantly curtail air travel (and filthy shipping, cars, etc.) but it belies the need for the third runway.

Friday 14
New TV installed in the bedroom. Blimey what a fight as we had to change the wall mount which meant even more holes in the wall; luckily concealed by the TV.

Monday 17
Monday gets the week off to a bad start. Stressed early on before hospital appointment, followed by lots of everything conspiring to bugger things up. It’s going to be one of those weeks.

Tuesday 18
Rendered totally incapable today by depression. No obvious reason, but is all of a piece with yesterday. Nothing attempted, so nothing achieved.

Thursday 20
A trip today to a new (to me) hospital. In the 45 years we’ve lived here I’ve never been to the Central Middlesex Hospital although it is only a handful of miles away. Although rebuilt about 10 years ago it is quite a small hospital which does a lot of the local elective surgery. You walk in and the main entrance hall is vast; it feels like you could fit a cathedral in there; and the coffee shop looks big enough to serve a complete army battalion! Outside the main entrance is no different, except that it is a bus station; I lost count of how many bus routes go through there – I counted six without trying. All the staff I came across were really friendly and helpful, which is a refreshing change!Outside the main entrance of Central Middlesex Hospital

Friday 21
I’ve been really struggling all week, and it’s been a relentless round of appointments etc. It’s not been helped by two consecutive late nights and early morning starts. I know N feels the same, so weekend recuperation is badly needed.

Saturday 22
The Boy Cat has disappeared. I noticed late last evening that he had a huge abscess on the left side of his face, but before we could scoop him up this morning he’d obviously shed drops of blood through the house and gone out in the middle of the night. Writing this evening, he hasn’t been seen since. Oh bugger! Sadly not a lot we can do, except hope he’s OK and will wander back.

Sunday 23
So Boy Cat came in late last evening looking a real mess. He had some attention, a long drink and some food; and buggered off again. He reappeared at lunchtime today looking somewhat less sorry for himself; had a few bits of the ham we were eating, and disappeared again. But he returned at teatime to demolish a bowl of food; and when we were eating he had a lick round the end of the cream tub. If we can, he’d better be kept in tonight until he can go to the V-E-T tomorrow.

Monday 24
So instead of coming with me to the optician, N took Boy Cat to the V-E-T. Boy is OK but has lost quite a bit of weight since Easter, so blood tests done as well as having his face sorted out and sent home with antibiotics and painkillers. And I need new glasses: expensive lenses and expensive frames. The combined cost made a huge dent in the credit card! Ouch!

Friday 28
Today a culinary adventure, which I really should write up. For evening meal I did Chicken Kiev, something I’ve never done before, with a side of pasta with onion, yellow pepper and a little tomato paste. It worked surprisingly well, although the chicken wasn’t exactly beautifully presented – well you try cutting a pocket in a chicken breast without putting the knife through the edges! I followed this with a nectarine and raspberry rustic tart (below), which went down well with cream; and will provide some breakfasts over the coming days.Nectarine and raspberry rustic tart

Sunday 30
Well yesterday it rained steadily, on and off, all day, just as promised. Today we were promised more rain – but where was it? It threatened all day but did nothing. Annoying especially as we hassled around to set the wasp traps for round two of sampling. But while doing the wasp traps I spotted this rather splendid hoverfly.a href=”https://zenmischief.com/wp-content/uploads/hoverfly2.jpg” target=”_blank”>Yellow and black striped hoverfly on a green leafI think it’s probably a Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) so called from the mask on the back of the thorax.

Monday 31
August Bank Holiday. Yet again a promise of rain which didn’t materialise. Yesterday’s hoverfly confirmed by iNaturalist as a Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea); not uncommon and I’ve doubtless seen many before and not realised it.

history, links, medical, natural history, science, sexuality

Monthly Links for August

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We’re at the end of August already, and even my young optician was being concerned about the speed with which the year was disappearing. Anyway here’s episode eight of this year’s monthly links to items you didn’t know you’d missed. As always we start with the heavy stuff …

Science, Technology, Natural World

Astronomers think they’ve discovered a black hole “star”, which would be a new kind of cosmic object.

The venerable Voyager 2 spacecraft, which is now outside the solar system, has done a very risky manoeuvre to save power and keep it working for anther couple of years. [££££]

Down on Earth there are safety concerns as scientists have made the first AI designed viruses.

Another concern, at least for ecologists, is where all the wasps have gone this summer.

While we’re on invertebrates, here are half a dozen somewhat surprising facts about them.

Larry the Cat has recently welcomed yet another new Prime Minister to Downing Street, but how do pets adapt to change?

Why do sleeping cats so often cover their eyes with a paw?

It was 388 years ago that Galileo worked out that physics means that human giants can’t exist. [££££]

Kew Gardens is about to start renovation of the iconic Palm House, but that means many plants have to be moved, and some even sacrificed.

Health, Medicine

Why do heatwaves hit women harder than men?

Research sems to be suggesting that in the final five minutes before death something odd happens with consciousness. [LONG READ]

Sexuality & Relationships

An essay on the importance of the foreskin. [LONG READ]

[NSFW] On the need for females to be fucked for bodily serenity.

Environment & Ecology

On the environmental effects of humans on trees.

History, Archaeology, Anthropology

Research is showing that long before any evidence of sails European stone age hunter-gatherers made sea voyages to Malta.

Another Ancient Roman shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Sicily – and its fully laden with amphorae.

While on the ancient world, here’s a look at the mysteries surrounding the Antikythera Mechanism. And the author, Isa Grant, has taken a logical look at many unsolved mysteries, so dig around in her Substack.

Many researchers believe that ancient Pictish symbols are actually names, but this is unlikely.

Medievals had a fixation on female pubic anatomy.

Mummified bodies found in Chile have revealed a lost lineage of smallpox. [££££]

London

Here’s a quick look at half a dozen London places associated with Samuel Pepys.

The latest instalment of Matt Brown’s coloured rendition of John Rocque’s 1746 map of London is out on the edge of the East End.

Lifestyle, Personal Development, Beliefs

Nobody will admit to having far right beliefs these days, but here’s a checklist to allow you to determine if they really are.

On being more than an attractive photograph, because there’s life behind the frame.

On designing and wearing female attire without the need for underwear.

And finally … a look at the bizarre world of banning pop songs for profanity and what gets missed. [LONG READ]

quotes

Monthly Quotes for August

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Once more unto this month’s collection of quotes.

Nudity is only taboo because we make it so. Let’s normalise it and break free from societal norms.
[unknown]

The only time of learning is from age nine to sixteen; afterwards, Cupid begins to tyrannise, jealousies, marriage and worldly cares intertwine with studies. It is a mistake to keep boys at their books at an age more proper for matrimony, when their minds chiefly run on propagating their race. Nature will be nature at 18+. At this age their information is like writing on greasy parchment: it will not stick or leave an imprint. Trying to educate boys over eighteen is like painting anew on an old picture: the colours will not be imbibed.
[John Aubrey, quoted un Ruth Scurr, John Aubrey: My Own Life]

I’m at that age where my mind still thinks I’m 29, my humour suggests I’m 12, while my body mostly keeps asking if I’m sure I’m not dead yet.
[unknown]

Since Einstein the future of time has become even more precarious.
[Prof. Janna Levin]

There is no objective time – past, present and future are all a matter of your own perspective.
[Dr Kate Mack]

Calories (noun): Tiny creatures that inhabit your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night.
[unknown]

I feel like a lot of my problems would be solved if I had a dragon.
[unknown]

The truth has no defence against a fool determined to believe a lie.
[Mark Twain]

Don’t call it getting undressed. Call it returning to factory settings.
[unknown]

Every time you open a book and read, a tree smiles, knowing there’s life after death.
[unknown]

Though many desire these treasures, none enter but he who knows the key and how to use it.
[Anthony Powell; Temporary Kings]

Reason is given to all men, but all men do not know how to use it. Liberty is offered to each one of us, but few learn to be free. Such gifts are, in any case, a right to be earned, not a privilege for the shiftless.
[Anthony Powell; The Kindly Ones]

We’re trained in obedience and rule-following from a very young age. We need equivalent practice in breaking rules, in recognizing when a rule or law is unjust and needs to be broken, and in acting in accord with that recognition. We need this all the time, but damn if we don’t need it especially now. One day, possibly soon, we will be called on to break a big law in the name of justice and rationality. Be ready.
[Mandy Brown]

There are no new ideas, just new ways of giving those ideas we cherish breath and power in our own living.
[Audre Lorde]

books

August Quiz Answers

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Here are the answers to this month’s six quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.

Language

  1. What do you call a group of bears? A sloth
  2. “Spy”, “eye”, “hour” and “fibre” can all precede which word to make new words? Glass
  3. The slang term ‘monkey’ is how much? £500
  4. What is the study of mushrooms called? Mycology
  5. The term “robot” was introduced in what form of literature (novel, play, short story, article, book, poem) by Czech writer, Karel Capek, in 1920? The play, RUR
  6. Literally the study of whales, “Cetology” is the title of the 32nd chapter of what lengthy American novel? Moby-Dick

Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2025.

books, quotes

This Month’s Poem

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Macavity: the Mystery Cat (extract)
TS Elliot

Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw –
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime – Macavity’s not there!

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime – Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air –
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!

[…]

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square –
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!

Find this poem online at Gutenberg Project

personal, sexuality

A Brief Note on Sexuality

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Over on Substack there’s an interesting piece on sexuality from Walking Mermaid:

My Relationship With Sexuality, Freedom, and Being Myself

It’s a long, and rather repetitive, read but worthwhile if only to see how it is possible to approach sexuality and personal freedom despite the constraints of society’s expectations.

A few quick extracts to give the flavour …

… I would want the world to be naked … like, clothes should be optional, but largely people should just be comfortable being naked and just be naked everywhere.

… open conversations about sex are incredibly important. We treat discussions about desire, fantasy, and intimacy as if they are dangerous or inappropriate, yet these experiences are among the most universal aspects of being human … talking about sex should be as ordinary as talking about food, art, or travel. Not because sex is trivial, but because it is normal.

… many of the fears and judgments surrounding sexuality come from silence. The more openly and respectfully we talk about these subjects, the easier it becomes for people to understand themselves and others without shame.

We do not limit our capacity to love friends, family members, or children, so why do we assume there is only one acceptable way to experience romantic love? For me, the foundation of any relationship is trust and transparency. Secrets create shame. Openness creates freedom.

… sexuality is a part of your whole being … And to me, sex is a form of connection rather than, I’m horny tonight, so let’s have penetrative intercourse.

When I see a naked body, I do not immediately see something sexual. I see humanity. I see vulnerability. I see life. That perspective has influenced my work, my photography, and my willingness to be seen authentically. Some of my favourite creative projects have involved exploring the body not as an object, but as an honest expression of self.

I see in this an extension of what one of my university friends (a straightforward, thoughtful, heterosexual guy – not an early-1970s hippie/weirdo) believed: that sex could be just an expression of sincere friendship, like a good hug. It didn’t have to have deeper connotations.

As regular readers will know, I’m very liberal and open-minded – the result of a somewhat bohemian upbringing and being a student in the late-1960s/early-1970s – so all of this reflects very much both how I feel intellectually and how I act. Although sadly, in practical terms, I think my brain has never quite caught up. But it’s still trying, even at 75. Life is nothing if we don’t keep questioning and trying to make progress.

But how do we get the rest of humanity to start thinking so openly?