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Our first barbecue of the season was Sunday 3 May, so much pottering about in the garden sunshine. It's all happening out there now. Last week there were 13 newts in the pond, we couldn't move for holly blues and then the swifts were back. It

. Such is the downward-looking microcosm-centred world of the entomologist. So for me to notice our avian friends they have to be really really abundant and noisy and obvious.Well, this week they have been particularly keen to draw attention to themselves. It started

There was magic going on in the garden today. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the sun had started to slope down and was giving everything that rich warm autumn glow. Looking out of the top bedroom window, I was admiring the reds, yellows and golds

or a wall, and it does it in bright sunshine. It’s all very reassuring. And not only is it pretty beyond compare in the arachnid world, it is fascinating to boot.The first thing to notice are the two huge headlight eyes at the front. They are rather

the front garden; one to the left, and one to the right of the front gate. I think there has been something of a power vacuum whilst we’ve been away on holiday. I’m not taking this personally.I like to think of myself as something of an expert on dung — a

It's Gardeners' World 'Grow Your Own' Week and I really am trying to grow my own, honest. Up at the allotment, everything's looking a bit bedraggled after the rain. The onions and garlics are looking just about OK; I'm hoping the strawberries

Sunday, and my first trip to the allotment since November was made with some trepidation. We never seem to have quite enough time to get things fully organized up there, and although it's a wonderful place to sit and look at the world, we really

It's National Insect Week, so I'm obliged to mention insects at every opportunity. Organised by the Royal Entomological Society, its aim is to promote the study of insects, to encourage the wider world to understand why it is important to study them