Moths galore and Nature, red in tooth and claw.

Burnished Brass, Diachrysia chrysitis

Our balcony is Moth City at the moment - some wonderful creatures are living there.   We are getting to know some of them and I was about to venture on some names, when tragedy struck.

The Coronet, Craniophora ligustri

Col was on the balcony doing the early morning watering - it is still VERY HOT - when he heard a clamouring from the bushes outside.  Had he been able to speak Sparrow he would have realised the chorus was saying:  "Get off that balcony Person!  We want our breakfast and we want it now".

And they did want it now, because while he was still on the balcony down swooped the sparrows and carried off our poor moths...one paused on the railing, poor wriggling Monty Moth in his mouth, as if to say:  Look what I got!

Nature is still "red in tooth and claw with ravine".   What a horrible mess it all is.

On the doubleplusgood side, they have now managed to get 8 boys safely out of that cave system in Thailand.  Thank God.  Four boys are still in there, with their Coach, but all being well they will be out tomorrow. The rains only have to hold off for another day.   Some video from the cave system has been published on Youtube.  Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhhhh...  those rescuers are so brave, and so at risk themselves.  How the boys got to where they did I do not know.  I have to assume they were driven deeper and deeper into the cave system by the rising flood water.

It reminds me a little of that harrowing chapter in Tom Sawyer, when Tom and Becky get lost in the caves.

Jacks came for supper on Saturday night. We had some real champagne on the balcony, among the moths.  It was our 45th Wedding Anniversary,   I hope we will have many many more - and that one day we might be celebrating our 4,500th.  Will we be on a balcony overlooking the English Channel?  Will I think back to these days then?   Will there be an English Channel?

I hope we are all there to find out.

It was so HOT on Saturday.  Perhaps the HOTTEST day so far.