Since I was stung by the wasps I have not felt the need to revisit the garden shed, mostly because I had forgotten all about it. When I was doing the lawn mowing it occurred to me that I had better go and have a look to see where the nest was. Amazing, it has been constructed and stuck on the inside of the shed door, which I had left flapping in the breeze. It is so intricate in it's construction, made from a papery pulp comprised of chewed up wood fibres and saliva - that's a lot of spitting and gnawing if you ask me - I had never seen a wasps' nest before. My first instinct was to exterminate them, but I decided to google them instead and have now decided that they are not interfering which anyone, well except me, as I have no wish to go in the shed and get the garden furniture out. It's only sunbeds for the guests to lounge on, and as I have no wish for them to lounge about in my garden the beds are best left where they are. It will save me moving them each time I mow! Wasps prey on flies, caterpillars, bugs, spiders etc and generally do a good job in the environment - maybe that's why I don't seem to have any flies in the kitchen!
I have a family of magpies living in the garden. The parents are teaching the young to take food from my bird table which is annoying the hell out of me. Firstly because I have to continually salute the buggers, otherwise bad things might happen, and also they are taking my little birds' food. I have now erected some blank CDs on a pole which flap in the breeze in the vain hope of scaring them off. This course of action did not work on the boat when trying to keep the seagulls from crapping all over the deck, but I hope it will be more successful in the garden!
I have been invited to supper with Sybil tomorrow night - lobsters are apparently on the menu - this is more like it - I can't say I have ever had coronation chicken in her house, well why would you? I will have to make sure that I get my guests checked in early so I won't be late.
My number 2 horse has bashed his knee and after 6 weeks it has still not gone down - this is very annoying. I have had to call (in mine Felicity's and the Duchess's opinion ) the best vet in the country to visit next week. The Duchess and I are madly in love with him. Emily and I have been in love with him for more than 20 years!