A Hunter in the Garden.

We've had quite a lot of sun today and with a steady warm wind it's been a good drying day. The kite surfers have been racing over the waves all day though the wing surfer didn't seem to be doing so well. 

I didn't have an early start. Friday as usual had taken it out of me. Once the usual routine was done and washing out on the line I began with the back gate. The gloss paint had dried but with a residual tackiness that makes me think it still needs to dry out properly.  It's an oil based trade gloss that once it has dried should be hard wearing. It was dry enough for me to carefully scrape off the paint from the glass panels at the top of the door. Then I tried fitting the other side of the door handle but couldn't get it to sit flat on the door. I think the bar that goes through is slightly at an angle but I can't undo the handle plate on the other side as already one screw has snapped off in situ. Instead I went with plan B and used some of the resin filler to fill the gap. But not wanting to stick the handle to the door permanently I did it over some baking parchment. Once the resin dried the paper peeled off and I've been able to trim it down and paint it with some black Hammerite. The last job of the day was the ironing and that was me done for the day.

I had a few breaks to enjoy the sunshine and watch the wildlife in the front garden. As well as ants and spiders in the shingle there are all sorts of flying insects.

This is a hoverfly but with over 270 British species I wasn't able to identify which particular one it was.

These furry bumblebees are carder bees, probably brown banded carder bees. Only 24 species of British bumblebees to pick from this time.

And here is the hunter, a female vagrant darter. (57 species of British dragonflies and darters.) I was feeling quite sad that the bees might be in danger but they actually eat much smaller insects and the larvae of things like midges. That's okay by me.