The concept of the savoury cream tea is such a good one I don’t know why more places don’t do it. Bicester Garden Centre.

Pipes unearthed. The white is one of the splints they tried to fit to fix a crack but looks to us like they over expanded it? Anyway we hope there are no cracks under the tank but we can’t be certain.

Inside the soda kiln - not fired for years - loads of butterflies. Not sure whether they’re alive or not.

A large moth on the kitchen wall - one of the large underwings, my guess is Red Underwing. Flew off when I tried to see the under wing unfortunately.

When the dirt on the bathroom floor starts to move, you know you've got something. A teenie tiny Pseudeuophrys lanigera immature at mums again - only place I see them.

Small black dots representing some of maybe 60 or more Swifts above mums house.

In fact, ignoring the atlas, when I log in the BAS home page, I still get this message at the top, about no last name set. If I then go to 'My account', it shows my 'First name' twice, but also my 'Surname' rather than 'Last name'.

Found the Jalapeño poppers I made for Christmas, in mums freezer. Utterly delicious. Might cook the rest to eat with the football.

Just got the invoice for last Wednesdays work which collapsed a pipe under the oil tank. Galling. Anyone any suggestions about moving the tank and digging up the concrete. I don’t want to destroy the tank. I presume I just disconnect where the tap is?

FWIW. Pipe sharpened on inside with a deburring tool cuts ok holes in plastazote. Fits the tubes well. That’s 12mm deep but will do for now.

Last one for tonight. I don't usually take Enoplognatha as they're always ovata. For a change, and only the second time, this is E.latimana, with the upcurved 'thing' (in ovata it points straight out.) Do folks do these in the field - you can almost see it on the habitus photo.

My last Brigittea latens wasn't or hasn't yet been accepted, so gone full out on this one, with the cheliceral indent, a full body shot, and two views of the palp.

Two female Oedothorax and the male O.retusus palp.

There's a male Oedothorax retusus in the sample from Syderstone, so tempting to just lump the two females in to the same species. But clearly not the same. One O.retusus female and one O.apicatus female.

Couldn’t wait. A work colleague used to tell me this was best beer in Germany. I think he lived in Freising. Can’t even remember his name but have remembered that.

Breaking the rules, and cooking a meal whilst also watching the football. Suck on that Gordon Ramsey! Stupid company wouldn’t deliver here anyway. Turkey Schnitzel with German style potato salad. German beer isn’t cold enough yet.

A beautiful Black Arches moth. It appeared to have some colour but the flash takes it all away unfortunately. All off now - ended with half a dozen Elephant Hawks flapping about like clowns, that's when you know it's time for bed.

The big guns have arrived.

Pardosa tenuipes (proxima in Roberts.) Nationally scarce it seems, again not recorded from Syderstone it seems.

To misquote Mr T, ‘I pity the [person who doesn’t have gooseberry] fool’. Tastes better than it looks - rest is chilling. If it lasts that long.

I often don’t do the stone turning thing as I never seem to find things. Lack of patience perhaps. But paid off today with Haplodrassus signifier - a common Gnaphosid but new for me. I tried to id in the field with little Roberts but couldn’t see enough unfortunately.

Maybe it is an Ant?

Some sort of Ant mimic 'thing' - is a Beetle? Possibly a Staph? It was medium large - like one of the larger black Ants.

Made it to Syderstone. Despite getting lost on the way.

I’ve made Trapanese Pesto for tea. Don’t think this is right - had to use jarred peppers as not enough tomatoes. It tastes nice, six pots in the freezer and two nights worth here. No cheese yet. We’ll see what it’s like.

In the garden with a cool beer. I’ve just mowed some of the sitting area and my legs are being bitten to pieces. I tried to sweep and move what I could a left the cuttings in case anything survived. This end of garden a real barren mess.

My garden right now is dominated by flowering Privet, thistles, Mallow and Jasmine. So many butterflies and bees.

All about Agelena tonight; one male on the wall outside and another on the bedroom ceiling.

I have deployed the fly proof beer tankard. Too many flies in and out of the house. A leaving gift when I left IABG in 1989.

There are worse places to be than lager hell!