Butterfly World

Caterpillars - loathsome and destructive - not what I want to find in my garden.

Yet somehow, these vile creatures transform into the breathtakingly beautiful fluttering butterflies synonymous with balmy summer days.

Truly one of nature's great miracles.

Nick Baker's Butterfly World from Interplay is a butterfly rearing kit that gives us the opportunity to witness this miracle.

I remember collecting caterpillars in jam jars as a child. Often, this did not end well for the caterpillars. The butterfly rearing kit contains all the equipment needed along with an information booklet to ensure that the life cycle of a butterfly can be studied safely and respectfully.

There are two ways of sourcing the specimens for the study. One is to send off for captive reared caterpillars of the Painted Lady butterfly. Alternatively, go out and find your own.

Armed with the paintbrush and collection jar provided, we scoured the garden on a collecting mission, feeling like proper naturalists. Would you believe it? We couldn't find a single one. Good news for my plants, bad news for our project.

Whilst I was out for a run recently, I saw a HUGE hairy caterpillar on the road. It would not have fitted in the collection jar even if I had happened to have it on me but it did make me think that extending our search from the garden into the hedgerows of the country lanes nearby might be the next step (a little adventure for the weekend)

Once we have our specimens, the booklet gives very clear instructions on how to care for the caterpillars through to the chrysalis stage and then how to transfer them into the net cage provided for the final transformation into adult butterfly. This is not for the faint hearted or fickle. It is very hands on and would certainly require plenty of adult supervision to see it through to the conclusion.

I am in equal measures nervous and excited - fascinated and repulsed. I have no doubt that the whole family, not just the kids, will get a lot out of it. Now we just need to find those caterpillars!!

What Happened Next

Haberdashery Heaven from Ravensburger

I have a very special bag tucked away on a shelf in my house. It belonged to my mother in law. It is a bag full of haberdashery treasures.

I knit a little and have been known to sew occasionally but I am far from expert. I have to be honest and say that there are items in that bag that have left me clueless to the purpose of. Some people may consider it a load of junk but it absolutely fills me with wonder - I marvel at the loveliness of it all. Individually, one cotton reel is not very inspiring... but a whole collection of different sized cotton reels in rainbow hues with a range of manufacturer's branding is something else entirely. It becomes a thing of beauty. I just love it. And buttons. I remember playing with my mum's button box when I was a little girl. They were like exotic jewels to me. 

Anyway, before I get too carried away, I was recently offered a 1000 piece Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle to review. My daughter who is currently doing her second year exams at University is a big fan of jigsaws. I have very fond memories of time spent with her over the years piecing together all sorts of different pictures: the pleasure of finding a particular piece that had been eluding us, the satisfaction of inserting the final piece, the bitter sweet moment when we break it up and return it to its box. We haven't done one for ages so I was very keen to accept the review and my daughter was equally keen to  resurrect the hobby. Imagine my joy when I found out that the puzzle was called 'Haberdashery Heaven'. 

The picture is a glorious jumble of haberdashery items (apparently meticulously arranged and captured by photographer Greg Shepherd).

The pieces are small and at the risk of stating the obvious, there are a lot of them - certainly a challenge. It is marketed as a 'premium puzzle' with 'softclick technology'. Softclick technology sounds very high tech for something as traditional as a jigsaw puzzle but I suppose it is more in keeping with our modern world than 'quality pieces that fit together really nicely'.

For the purpose of this review, I did make a small start on the puzzle if for no other reason than to test that 'softclick technology'. However, I don't think my daughter would ever forgive me if I were to find myself getting carried away and completing it without her (which is something I could very easily do). The pieces are now safely back in the box until the last of her exams is finished and she comes home for the summer. I can't wait!

Another Finish

Last year, I waited patiently for the finish photos of the Market Drayton 10K to be published online. 

This year I forgot all about them!

The 'forgetting' may or may not have been a symptom of my menopause  but finding the photos unexpectedly was a lovely surprise and brought memories flooding back.

Last year, I finished just behind my daughter.

This year, I had a pretty good lead on the small orange dot passing the tree to the top left of the picture!

Menopause or not, I am feeling unstoppable.