I thought it was about time we had some more cat porn. So here is Tilly the (not so small) kitten taken earlier today. She is now almost 23 weeks and growing nicely. But as you see she is such a poor neglected kitten she has to sleep amongst the filing on the study floor! The rest of the time she’s charging around like Evel Knievel — or eating. Well typical teenager really!
This week’s photograph is one I took about a year ago when we visited Norwich for the day. As at many cathedrals, at Norwich you get some interesting views of the tower/spire/crossing/etc. from the cloisters. There’s no special story with this photo, it’s just an image a rather like.
OK, for this week’s photograph we have something slightly different. A tiny little beast which although scary looking is harmless to us, but scary indeed if you’re a caterpillar as it is a predator and parasite.
This is an Ichneumon Fly. They parasitise caterpillars and other creepy-crawlies by laying their eggs in them for their larvae to eat from the inside.
These are the four best shots of a tiny ichneumon which wandered into the house. I suspect it if being a member of the Braconidae, possibly Apanteles glomeratus; almost certainly one of the Ichneumonidae. Its head and body about the size of a British black ant (so around 4-5mm) with the antennae and ovipositor each roughly the same length as the body. Its legs were definitely reddish. It liked walking about (it was quick too) and then suddenly flew off into oblivion.
This week’s photograph is one from our rail holiday in German’s Harz Mountains, February 2008. Here 7241 pauses in failing light towards the end of a steam charter from Quedlinberg to Wernigerode.
Yes, this week’s photograph is late. That’s because I have been trying to recover, and tidy up from, the Anthony Powell Conference at Eton College over the weekend — just cashing up the takings and getting everything to reconcile took near a full day.
Anyway the conference swan song was to take a group of the delegates (about a quarter of them) to Dorney Court, near Eton. The house dates from the mid-16th-century and is about as unspoilt as it is possible for it to be and still be a family home. The first image is the obligatory group photo prior to our tour of the house.
This week’s photo is another from the archives. It is a superb piece of medieval stone carving of a woven pattern at Rochester Cathedral. The stone is not only carved but painted as well. I took this so long ago that I now cannot remember where it is in the cathedral or even if it is in a wall or floor.
There’s no story to this week’s picture except that Noreen has ancestors who come from Chipping Norton. Coincidentally I have ancestors from just a handful of miles away at Churchill and Kingham.
This is the 17th century gateway to the almshouses, complete with wonky gate (which looks to be of the same sort of date as the stonework!). And as you can see the almhouses and gateway are on a really wicked hill down from the town to the church.
This week’s photograph is an interesting piece of ecclesiastical architecture in Saint Augustine, Brookland, Kent.
This looks to be a decorated window on which a Tudor form has been superimposed, apparently as part of a chantry chapel. It is a real challenge to photograph as the sill is above head height, there is a big built-in cupboard in front of it, plus two disused box pews (used for storage of things like cleaning mops!). The only way you can get square-on is to invade one of the (raised) disused box pews. It’s a pity the glass is so dirty as the colours of the trees through the window were lovely and would themselves have made a good shot.
Here’s one from years ago (like 2008) when I went to London Zoo — and yes, for some unknown reason they let me out again!
No story to this, just a pretty picture!
As regular readers will have noticed we were in Oxford yesterday where I spotted this mega cup. It was in the window of Alice’s Shop in St Aldate’s, almost opposite Christ Church. It is absolutely magnificent and I reckon probably holds at least a gallon (4.5 litres) because, yes, that is a normal sized cake stand next to it!
