July 2023

Sunday 30^th. Still in some discomfort from the pain in my arm this was nevertheless a better day than yesterday and the contribution of some CPD oil from Sarah probably helped reduce the discomfort to acceptable levels. It was also helped by an excellent Women’s World Cup game in which Colombia beat Germany 2-1 with a winning goal two minutes form the end of added time. At the Test Australia ominously reached 137-0 at the close of play, chasing a target of 384.

Saturday 29^th. For the first time since my diagnosis in December today was a bad day. Awake at 2 am with pain in my left leg, wrists, lower back and my right arm I managed to deal with most of it by the time I got out of bed, but the pain in my arm just wouldn’t shift. Coupled with extreme fatigue, imagining that I would fall over at the slightest provocation and a dwindling of my appetite to near zero it was hardly surprising that was in bed by 7.30.

Thursday 27^th. Bad weather meant no moths to deliberate over this morning, but plenty of frantic action from the Oval where England were all out for 283, thanks in part to Australia for shelling catches like peas. The tourists finished on 67-1, which I think they would have settled for at start of play. Our evening was spent most enjoyably at the New Inn at West Knighton to celebrate Tom and Sheila’s 60^th wedding anniversary. It was all very enjoyable and it’s now way past my bedtime …..

Wednesday 26^th. It was an exciting start to the day when young Ben came round from next door to say that there was a ‘massive’ grey moth on the outside of their porch. It turned out to be a splendid Red Underwing, a species we’ve recorded only twice before in September. The only addition within the trap was a Dusky Brocade.

Saturday 22^nd. Canary-shouldered Thorn and Rosy Rustic were new for the year in our moth trap last night, the contents of which we checked before rain set in for the day, driven on by a strong to gale force SW wind. Nice. At the Test match rain eased to allow about 3 hours play, during which England managed to take just one more Australian wicket, the tourists finishing the day 60-odd behind.

Friday 21^st. The addition overnight of Least Yellow Underwing and Flounced Rustic brought our macro moth total for the year to 200. The morning soon became overcast and a spell of rain at lunch time hinted at what is forecast for Old Trafford tomorrow, where England’s put themselves 275 of Australia, scoring 592 in their first innings, thanks in no small measure to a blistering 99 not out from Jonny Bairstow, Mind you, having taken a look at the forecast for Manchester over the weekend it all looks pretty academic.

Thursday 20^th. Nutmeg and Silky Wainscot appeared for the first time this year last night and while sitting in the garden this morning a Hummingbird Hawk-moth paused briefly at our lavender. It was probably the best butterfly day of the summer so far, with Wall and Brimstone among the usual suspects in the garden.

Wednesday 19^th. The contents of our moth trap were distinctly underwhelming, but events in the Tour de France very much not so. By the end of the day after some tortuous climbing Jonas Vingegaard had firmly ended any residual speculation that Pogacar, his nearest rival, might stage a comeback, finishing over seven and a half minutes ahead of the Slovenian. A decent selection of butterflies in the garden included the first Wall for a while and our second Common Blue of the year.

Tuesday 18^th. Last night was the first in five days to be able to set the moth trap and we were rewarded with the first Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing of the season. In the Tour de France the Dane Jonas Vingegaard took a decisive step to winning this year’s event by winning the time trial by an amazing 1’38’’ from his nearest rival Tadej Pogacar from Slovenia. It wasn’t that Pogacar was bad, but that Vingegaard was simply brilliant.

Monday 17^th. Every four weeks I drive to Portesham to pick up my collection of drugs. From those prescribed for my type 2 diabetes the assortment has steadily grown to its current almost unbelievable level and it occurred to me while arranging them all on my bedside table, rather artistically I thought, that if were to report myself to the police I’d probably get at least 3 years. As for reality, much of the day was spent waiting for the pernicious wind of the last few days to fall away which by early evening it had the good grace to have done so.

Sunday 16^th. Still windy but bright, it was a good day to take the weight off my flagging knees, sport-hopping between the Tour de France, England’s women against Australia’s (which we lost by 3 runs) and a really excellent men’s singles final at Wimbledon which saw Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in 5 sets, even having lost the first 1-6. Carlos may have a winning smile but when he roars in celebration he bears a worrying resemblance to a Francis Bacon portrait.

Saturday 15^th. There was not much rain today, just a near gale force wind all day. Just right for some Rugby Championship (New Zealand beating South Africa and Argentina just pipping Australia) then channel-hopping between the women’s singles final at Wimbledon and the Tour de France. Having driven up roads like some of these in the Spanish Pyrenees and learning that the car didn’t like it, how they do it on bicycles I have no idea.

Wednesday 12^th. As expected, wind and rain wiped out any trapping on Monday but although numbers and variety were much reduced last night it did at least bring only our second record of Least Carpet; a much scarcer species here than it was in Kent. Despite a frisky breeze some butterfly interest included the first Common Blue of the season in our meadow and an unfortunate Small Skipper that ignored the white patch on a field scabious head, finding it to be a crab spider that proceeded to do what they do best.

Sunday 9^th. Courtesy of expanding numbers of Common Footman (133 last night) it was the busiest of the year so far, with 293 moths of 44 species including firsts for the year in Small Fan-footed Wave, Fen Wainscot, Peach Blossom and Garden Tiger. Would you Adam and Eve it – England won the third Test, though not without looking like throwing it away more than once. The margin of three wickets owed much to Harry Brooks and Chris Woakes, who scored 107 between them. Hooray!

Saturday 8^th. Another busy moth night produced first records for the year of Yellow-tail, Plain Golden Y and Small Phoenix (photo below), which we have recorded just once before. There was also a bit of rain, which doesn’t look like the last we are going to see this week. During one of the showers a bunch of Swallows appeared on the wires outside, among which was a Sand Martin. At the Test, England had a good day, most of which was washed out by rain, dismissing Australia for 224, leaving themselves 251 to win the match. At 27-0 at the close with good batting conditions forecast for tomorrow, who knows?

Friday 7^th. Last night brought another garden first and a moth we never recorded in Sandwich, Small Dotted Buff, along with Black Arches. At the Test, England managed to restrict Australia to a 26-run first innings lead, thanks largely to Ben Stokes’ belligerent 80, and had them 116-4 at the close, which seems like a decent position for the Aussies.

Thursday 6^th. This season’s first records of Cloaked Minor and Brown-tail appeared in the trap last night, but today was pretty much down to oscillating between day 1 of the 3^rd Ashes test and the Tour de France. The cricket was a game of three halves, as they say, with England starting well, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head taking the Aussies to 240-4 with a stand of 155, then with Mark Wood bowling very fast England cleaned up the last six wickets for just 23, with the tourists all out for 263. The Tour was great entertainment, with the yellow jersey being dropped as Tadej Pogacar took back half of yesterday’s deficit in a hugely impressive stage win over Jonas Vingegaard in the final punishing 3km of the last mountain stage for a couple of days. Great scenery, great entertainment and all from the comfort of your own living room.

Wednesday 5^th. With no trapping for the last two nights due to a mix of rain and rain it was left to a Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, nectaring on scabious in our meadow, to redress the balance a bit. In what may be an omen for the start of the third Ashes test tomorrow the fifth stage of the Tour de France was won by jai Hindley, an Australian, who finished an impressive 32 seconds ahead of the pack on the first mountainous stage of the Tour.

Monday 3^rd. July Highflyer (photo below) and Dusky Sallow were new for the year in last night’s moth trap. Much of the rest of the day was taken up with falling outside Tesco, skinning my knees nicely, then recuperating over day 3 of the Tour de France, which I’ve always enjoyed for the scenery and rather whimsical commentary.

Sunday 2^nd. Moth numbers dropped below a hundred on the 1^st for the first time since early June, but still brought our first garden record of Double Square-spot. A curious species this: In Kent we recorded it in highly variable numbers; scarce or absent in some years but up to 20 in better ones. In Dorset, the moth is frequent, locally common, in deciduous woodland throughout the county, but rare or absent in open country. Anyway, our first Marbled White and Ringlet of the summer were flopping about our knapweed; the 17^th and 18^th species this year so far. As for the cricket, defeat for England might have seemed inevitable but for some time in the afternoon it appeared less so, thanks to a blistering 155 from Ben Stokes. In the end, though, once he was dismissed Australia went on to win the match by 41 runs, and deservedly so.

Saturday 1^st. We opted not to moth trap last night as it was windy with the forecast of showers, so it was down to the cricket to provide the bulk of today’s entertainment. By virtue, if that’s an appropriate word, of some persistent short-pitched bowling England got themselves back into the match, albeit distantly, dismissing Australia for 278, leaving themselves 371 to win. The chase saw England slip to 45-4 before Stokes and Duckett took things to 114-4, so not a complete disaster; more an incomplete one.