Baby buggies

Another grey and gloomy day spent largely at home. Much of the morning was spent cleaning and tidying the kitchens before our new washing machine was delivered, but I also had tome to prepare apple rings for drying and to make mulligatawny soup for lunch, which pretty much used up all the vegetables that were a bit past their best.

After lunch I spent some time cutting back the dogwood, until the irritant hairs became just too itchy! I'd spotted these two bugs sitting on a meadowsweet leaf in the morning, but was surprised to see them still there late in the afternoon. They're both nymphs - the top one is a Dock Bug, while the bottom one is a Green Shield Bug. 

An even more spectacular invertebrate turned up in the evening, on our hall wall. One of the largest House Spiders I've ever seen - a real bruiser with huge fangs. Probably best not to look at the extra if you're an arachnophobe.