A Name For Every Leg

Probably most commonly called a Garden Spider, the latin name is Araneus diasematus.  However its also known as the Cross Spider (after the white cross on its abdomen), Orb Weaver, Crowned Orb Weaver, Diadem Spider, Garden Cross Spider, (that's 7) or amongst the arachnophobes as a ... 'hairy scary leggy thing'!  
My apologies to those of you who don't like spiders, as yes, I've done it again and stuck a big one right across your screen.  But, I think this one is beautiful.  It's an adult female and will soon weave a silken bag to lay her eggs in, where they'll stay for the winter.
Oddly the Crowned Orb Weaver (best name as it describes the spider and the web) has as many colours as it has names, ranging from pale yellowy brown, through reddish tones to dark brown, but it always has the cross identifying it.

I should perhaps have blipped some of the new perennial plants we've put in the garden this morning, but this spider won me over without trying. The afternoon included an optimistic meeting with the orthopaedic consultant - much better than last time.  He is staggered by my progress and reiterated that I should carry on with the deep core physio exercises to support my spine, especially now I'm restarting the quadriceps work for the left knee.  Both he and my physio think I'll be hillwalking again in a few weeks :-)