I am back to sunny downtown Elland for a week next week moving my mother from hot sunny Brighouse to the chilly climes of Essex where she is to spend her retirement hours at the Tiptree jam factory (excellant cafe according to mum) and hopefully snaring some rich old bloke who will turn his toes up quickly and leave me loads a money ;-)) I might get some time during the week for a leaf-mining session if anyone is around in the daytime and fancies a trip out ? The main reason I am posting though is that I have a brand new hardly used Robinson 125 MV moth trap that I am willing to loan out long term to anyone who wants one. Only condition is that its used mainly in Calderdale to add records for Andy and any damages are replaced before I get it back in the future.
Apologies in advance Charlie I am about to do it again.....we had loads of Lime Hawk Cats last week on a small stunted Apple tree of all things on our local lane. I took four with a large colour variation and they have now departed underground to pupate. Not done much moffing here in recent weeks as we have been battered by a succession of winter gales throughout August and continuing into September with today the only dry day since Saturday so far, yesterday we had floods :-(( The locals reckon this has been the wettest week since Noah left and are having a whip round to pay my fare back to Yorkshire as they blame me for bringing Pennine Weather to the area since I moved. I might be picking your brains or perhaps green-fingers Charlie as it looks like I am about to get my hands on my own allotment in the near future and might need a few tips. My fame has spread around the village as I am not only known as "Paul the Books" but also the lunatic Yorkshire man who looks for horrible crawling things in his spare time. This paid off last week as I met the only other loony in the village who also likes moths and shes invited Sue and I round to her farm to run a moth trap with her whenever we feel like it (which is why my Robinson is spare at the moment). Anyway that's it for now as I have to get making some blackberry jam and the next batch of Sloe Gin needs to be got underway so its ready for Xmas...the excitement just never stops in the country !
PS Its costing me 10 quid a week on bird food for the birds who arrive in droves in daylight and cat biscuits for the seemingly small army of hedgehogs that arrive in the garden each night to eat me out of house and home. I cannot afford the electricity to run the moth trap now anyway by the time I have paid by other wildlife bills each week !
PPS nearly forgot. Andy I have had your new copy of Skinner for weeks now. I brought it back to Elland a few weeks back but you were on Holiday so I could not drop it off.
