The Build 8, 7 Dec 24

There’s been work on the escape route into Banchory Court. This will be a one lane access road that cuts through the middle of the site. The asphalt and parked car in the background of the photo below are in fact in Banchory Court.

While Surbiton Court is mostly one level and floodable along most of its length, Banchory rises quite quickly to higher ground, even useful for workers on the site, given we’ve now had two flood events in the past month.

This machine was a surprise giant in the elbow of the little road where it exts the site at the base of Parkland building. Working in the distance, flattening once more the piles of ‘fill’ dug from the lower part of the site, it looks much more proportional.

And speaking of flattening piles of dirt, JW and I standing chatting, were seeing that in action. That was a couple of days ago. And here, on Saturday (20 December 2024) there’s more flattening happening …

Looks like overtime but could be the schedule is running behind … too many days lost to rain.

One Cocoon …

Is what eventuated.

And this from a caterpillar that hung from the branch like a dead thing for over eighteen hours. Transformed overnight.

Cocoon in the upper mid left area, quite well camouflaged.

Just lucky I didn’t tidy the whole thing away, which I didn’t do because the leafy wild lemon branches donated at the last minute had on them a very young instar.

Starting the whole cycle again.

Unproductive Day

Having it. Any Comments I might’ve wanted to make on my daily reads … thrown down the gurgler by WP.

Sorry, #Content Catnip. Sorry, #exacticablog. Sorry, the two or three others of you. Why do I have to be logged in to make a comment? Why isn’t that stated before I start typing? All my words, disappeared into the ether again.

Not that my words are of an earth-shattering quality that must be saved at all costs! Not at all. It’s the loss of a possibility to communicate that I regret.

An unproductive day represented by a stripped shrub.

There’s so much gate-keeping happening everywhere. I’m blaming that on the lessening of good online communications. I suppose it’s a good thing for face-to-face socializations. We’ll have to go back to them out of sheer frustration.

Called my Night and Day Pharmacy to repeat a couple of scripts, to be ready for the drought during the public holidays. They called me back, said they couldn’t repeat e-scripts only paper ones. Huh? Why not? Didn’t have any problem before? I called the Doctor’s surgery. Can’t get an appointment to iron the problem out till next week. Cutting it very fine again. I have 20 days supply remaining … gets me to the New Years long weekend. Nerve wracking.

But, I will say, a kind receptionist said she would call the pharmacy to see what was what. She’ll be calling me back. And she did, and she fixed the problem. I will take Reception@HealthCarePlus a bunch of flowers tomorrow. They are wonderful!

“Take the flowers on Monday,” my sister said. “They can enjoy them all week then.”

Will do.

I’m trying to sew/embroider the tiger’s face. I need something like ‘button yarn’ for the whiskers. Button Yarn? Usually I use ordinary sewing yarn doubled for sewing on buttons. I’ve never heard of Button Yarn. The ears are too big and they still have to be stuffed. I may need to re-open the neck seam and stuff the face more.

Tiger, looking kind of dumb without ears or eyes and with hanging threads.

Bleh … that reminds me of Linus.

Here’s Hoping …

I’m hoping for this https://www.google.com/search?q=wasp%20parasite%20on%20Orchard%20Swallowtail&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-m#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:81f10512,vid:rC4PssRlfx0,st:9

to happen some time in the next couple of hours. We’ve got 34 degrees Celsius forecast today. There are only three leaves remaining. Only three caterpillars.

Yesterday the predators were starting to gather …

A tiny parasitic wasp … probably intending to lay its eggs in a caterpillar or two

This evil looking fly …

Also sitting and waiting …

Then there is the evidence of an Asian gecko in the scene … a loud call and its droppings … I suspect that it took number four.

Four remaining …

Caterpillars, that is. I wish they would just hurry up and pupate. They’re so exposed. And they’re doing weird stuff like this … (this photo from indoors looking out)… three congregating at the top of the largely denuded bush?

The one with what turned out to be a tiny white spider moult stuck on its back, is still eating. There are maybe six whole leaves left and a few halves.

Below, photo snapped from afar, number four is still eating …

I wouldn’t have been able to get citrus leaves till tomorrow, so I told my contact don’t worry we’ll have to let nature its way. They’re still a worry.

Cat Diary 22

Although we are more or less back to normal, there is a slight flavour of a new normal. For one thing, the old woman still has not tried to pick me up. A good thing that.

For another, she made my puzzle board about six times harder to find kibbles on. Not so good.

Everything is a different height and there is a little person sitting on it staring at me.

Another good thing is that she made more room at the edge of the balcony for me to sit and peer under it at the people passing by. I’m OK with that now.

I’ve been here four and a half months and I think I’ve done pretty well getting accustomed to some of the strangest things a cat has got to put up with. I mean, who has ever heard of puzzle boards for the likes of us?

And do you know, the only time I get a swag of kibbles in a bowl is at bedtime?

Ecosystem 1

Saw this idea, I’ll get his name later, and am going to try it. Drag you along with me, of course!

A handful of soil and a slurp of water since the soil was quite dry. Wack the lid on and watch what happens. Did that a few hours ago.

Now, at 3.45 pm, telling me there’s life in there exploring its new boundaries.

The tiniest of worms/nematode? Makes me wonder did I add too much water?

Can even see its gut with food in it?