Ok, so I got the final outcome from the consultants at a post-op follow up
last Friday with Nichola. Bottom line - no discussions about how long I've got
and no further treatment; lymph nodes clear and resection margins
microscopically clear (r0) so essentially I am cancer-free and can get on with
planning and living my life like anyone else. No guarantees of course, although ongoing surveillance for five years is reassuring, but
it's absolutely the best outcome I could have hoped for. Just got to get on
with physical recovery, though I'm feeling a bit stronger every day and from
today I'm logging on to work for a while to get back on top of things.
I'm also taking on the VC55 CMR role formally from hereon in. I've been
covering the role since Adrian's passing, but of course was hesitant to
formalise anything too quickly and whilst I had my own health cloud. There is
much to do, initially just to get a grip on a few things.
I ran the garden trap for a couple of nights before the weekend, and picked up
x3 new micros in the process - one of which was completely new to me.
Ironically though, the first new micro was almost overlooked.
From 28/07/2022 there were x2 Brown-line Bright-eye in the trap that I
couldn't remember having here before, and x2 Caloptilia semifascia that has
been turning up in gardens regularly over the last couple of years or so. It
didn't remotely click that mine wasn't one of them. It was only when checking
for last dates that the penny dropped, and thankfully I'd potted both to
ensure a photo anyway. Turned out that after all I had recorded Brown-line
Bright-eye here before - albeit way back in 2000 & 2003.
Caloptilia semifascia - garden tick
Worn but welcome Brown-line Bright-eye - not a garden tick!
The following night, another couple of micros that this time I knew were new
....
Caloptilia cuculipennella - new for me and the garden
Nephopterix angustella - seems to be having a good year locally
"All you've got to do is feel, your body's going to start to heal, Fingertips
of holy fire, everlasting sweet desire, It don't matter what the
doctors say, Healer man, sail away, Immortality for two, miracles
will come to you. The faith healer, the faith healer"
I'd like to have posted this earlier, but on Tuesday my body was frazzled and
yesterday I was out of action at the hospital - finally having all drains and
stents removed so I really feel like a major step towards full recovery now.
Anyway, here in Whetstone Leics. the temps on Monday and Tuesday were - quite
frankly - ridiculous. Both day and night. Monday topped out at around 38°C,
and Tuesday was over 39°C, whilst the night time temps on both nights never
dropped below 22°C with temps at dusk hovering around 30°C. Unbearable. I ran
the garden trap on Monday night, the fourth consecutive night of recording,
but couldn't bear another effort on Tuesday. I'll wait a few days now to catch
up on some sleep and brace myself for another rise in temps later in the week
(albeit not so dramatic).
The Monday night catch was an excellent 735 of 127sp. which I think is the
highest species total for the garden and possibly the highest catch total,
certainly from one trap. Have to be honest, I used to keep tabs on that kind
of things but I've completely lost track.
Absolute highlights over the hot period were two garden macro ticks - one
expected, one not. Ironically, the expected one was new to me and until
recently was considered a rare migrant, but is clearly now a rapidly expanding
resident.
Dewick's Plusia - a British Tick that I expected to turn up before long
Lesser-spotted Pinion - never on the garden list radar
I ran the garden trap around the weekend last week, before the temps dropped a
little for a few nights to give a bit of respite. Reasonably busy catches,
including a few beetles and bugs which are likely to start ramping up in the
trap over the next month.
By far the main highlight was a new species - not just for the garden but one
I've not seen anywhere previously, though it has colonised the county recently
and I have tried for it at a couple of sites ....
Obscure Wainscot
Best of the beetles was this longhorn, albeit an agg. only ....
Leiopus nebulosus agg.
And amongst the bugs were these ....
Stenotus binotatus
Miridius quadrivirgatus
With the ridiculous forecast temps heading this way in the 'red zone', the trap is back out again for the next few nights. It'll probably be easier to watch it rather than trying to get some sleep with the night temps predcited!
Well, I'm here and alive enough to post - always a good thing I reckon. My
surgery did go ahead on Weds 15th June, though I knew nothing of it until
being brought out of sedation and off of a ventilator on 16th morning which
probably helped with managing the pain a bit. I spent the first day in
intensive care, just about getting over the anaesthetic whilst developing a
morphine addiction. On Friday I got moved to a general ward, and spent the
next three days gradually becoming more self-dependent and mobile. Much to my
surprise and relief, on Monday 20th they muted that perhaps I could go home
early (fully expected a 10 - 14day stay) as long as I came back in for a
couple of check ups on the Weds and Friday - I didn't hesitate in imploring
them to make it happen. I hate hospitals at the best of times, but being in
there once you are actually mobile and looking after yourself is absolutely
the most soul-destroying and mind-numbing thing imaginable. So on Monday night
I was home and happy.
Tuesday 21st June was a nice warm sunny day so I was pleased to be able to
intersperse sleeping, relaxing and generally lounging about with forays into
the garden for fresh air and to watch a few insects on the border flowers. It
dawned on me that with the sun shining, and with it requiring virtually zero
effort, I could dangle a couple of lures. So I tried both VES and FOR with
success, one Orange-tailed Clearwing to the VES lure and x3 Red-tipped
Clearwings to the FOR lure. I wasn't up to fannying about with a camera though
so only managed a couple of crappy phone shots ....
Orange-tailed Clearwing
Red-tipped Clearwing
I think the adrenaline of seeing clearwing and the euphoria at being home overtook
common sense, and I put the moth trap on for the night. Surgery and being in
hospital screws up your sleep pattern for ages so getting up early to empty it
wasn't a problem, though it was a bit more physical effort than was perhaps
good for me. Nothing exciting in there, but it was looking sunny again so out
went the LUN lure despite it being perhaps a bit early for the target. By
08:30 there were x2 Lunar Hornet Moths in the trap. All the more excellent as
with the pre-surgery records of Currant and Red-belted, all x5 clearwing
species that I recorded here last year have come again - no flash in the pan
luck involved, all clearly present within close enough proximity to come to
the lures reasonably soon after deployment.
Lunar Hornet Moth
Again, the moth trap went out and again with some effort I got it done early
in the morning. This time though there was excitement, a new for garden macro
and a decent migrant that warranted a quick snap with the camera ....
Scarlet Tiger
An expected addition to the garden list with recent expansion in VC55 range,
shame it was a bit tatty.
Bordered Straw - second garden record after one in 2006
The moth trap went out again on Thursday 23rd June, back to standard fare and
by now I was thinking that I'd perhaps overdone it, so the trap got put away
as the weather faded a bit anyway.
A week or so after surgery, things can go two ways. You either feel like
you're getting somewhere and feeling a bit stronger each day, or you start to
slide and feel a bit crapper. Over the weekend I felt a bit lethargic and
lacking energy, and on Monday I was in incredible pain in my left kidney. Back
to the hospital to be checked, and I ended up being re-admitted with bloods
showing infection markers. A subsequent CT scan showed a build up of likely
infected fluid stuck in a pocket somewhere in my pelvis, which would require
draining under a radiologically guided procedure. By then I'd had a couple of
doses of IV antibiotics and was feeling fine again, but the NHS system
conspired against me and despite my protestations and moaning I ended up being
stuck back in there until the Friday evening whilst they tried to work out
if/how/when this would be done. I was absolutely exasperated; every day I was
nil by mouth from midnight to c4pm just in-case they managed to fit me into
someone's schedule, whilst being sedentary and having bugger all to do. On the
Friday I made it clear I'd had enough and I was seriously on the page of
walking out and self-discharging, luckily they'd already come to the
conclusion and seen sense that they were better off bending their own rules
and essentially discharged me without discharging me, so that I could go back
for the procedure at an appointed time as a day case.
Back home for another week, gradually building myself up again after going
backwards in hospital. Yesterday I went in for a CT Guided Drain procedure -
and by christ it was the most painful experience of my life, local anaesthetic
only works so deep, and to avoid any remaining organs or major blood vessels
they went in the most direct route - basically they skewered my backside and
it fucking hurt! Anyway, it's done now and I can get back on with recovering
(although the drain will of course have to some back out, which will also be
uncomfortable but a lot quicker!). I'm actually feeling a lot perkier now and
I'm okay with basic pain relief. I've got a long way to go with recovery but
feel like I'm on the right path now.
Having major surgery, losing body parts and being in pain or uncomfortable etc
is of course worth it if it means I'm still here for the foreseeable, watching
the kids grow up (metaphorically, they've already grown up physically), being
here for and with Nichola and contributing to society. The surgeon told me
last week that the histology on the stuff they removed has clear margins -
that should mean I am cancer-free and there will be no further treatment. I'd
really like to hear that again with Nichola by my side at a formal
post-surgery consultation in due course.
The trap will be back out tonight, I've missed some of the best mothing
weather for ages and feel like I need to get back on track. I'm also able to
sit at the desktop PC for a while now - hence posting.
I realise that a lot of this post is a bit self-centered and unlikely to be of
any interest to anyone, but as I'm sure I've said before I write this blog for
me first and foremost.
In other news, apparently a large number of MPs in the lying bastard party
with no integrity and morals have realised that their leader really is a lying
bastard with the integrity and morals of a pile of bat guano. Who knew!
I really like this new track from Simple Minds ....
Wow, time flies and all that. I've been keeping myself busy, though it doesn't
feel like I've ever got near to being ahead on work, chores and tasks. So
having not posted for a couple of weeks or so, and seeing as I'll be heading
back on Wednesday to see if that surgery gets done this time, here's a mix of
stuff.
First up, although these photos are from back on 29/05/2022, you may recall I
mentioned making a mini-pond using a raised planter. It's a c64x54mm
rectangular box, and I've got the water at c20mm deep. It is far from an ideal
pond, and of course I have no intention of it being anything other than
(hopefully) a habitat for small inverts. I washed some stones and laid them
on the bottom, filled it up and left it for a couple of days before adding
some oxygenating weeds and then another couple of days or so before adding
some potted marginal plants. Other than these plants, I'll not be deliberating
adding anything .... but it was inevitable that the plants would have brought
something.
The plants are a Water Forget-me-not, Water Mint with a bonus Monkeyflower
that has appeared in the same pot, and a couple of irises. As expected, it
seemed to develop a load of algae quite quickly, and then almost as quickly it
cleared and I started to notice things. I was certain that the first things to
turn up would be fly larvae, and sure enough a load appeared. So whilst it
felt completely wrong, I decided to take the plunge as it were and shove the
TG-6 below the surface. It survived .... despite me forgetting that I was
supposed to remove the light guide.
Lots of mosquito and chironomid larvae making light work of the algae. Whilst
these probably arrived naturally, I also noted that there were actually loads of
snails that certainly arrived with the plants. I also noted some water boatmen
nymphs which again I assume arrived with the plants ....
Whilst I was messing about trying to get shots of these, I noticed a
completely unexpected 'newtpole'. In fact I've since seen at least five at the
same time. I will have to ensure they get out once they're ready, but the
whole point of this being raised was to ensure it doesn't attract frogs or
newts!
So the scene is set, and I'll enjoy staring into the nooks and crannies etc
waiting for the odd beetle that will hopefully turn up in due course.
Talking of beetles, I saw this one scuttling about in the garden on 07/06/2022
and luckily had a pot to hand. I could see that it was a small Carabid, but
that was it until I got a couple of shots and then it was quite simple to sort
out ....
It keys through to Asaphidion curtum, a new one for me.
Over the completely ridiculous nonsense that was the Jubilee bank holiday and
weekend, we nipped down to Devon. The weather wasn't great, but I'd decided to
take a light trap and was intent on using it regardless. I managed to set it
up under the overhang of the garden summerhouse, so the trap stayed dry
despite a bit of heavy rain in the early hours. The catch wasn't massive, but
there was a good mix and a couple of new moths plus a couple I've only seen
away from Leics. before. The two ticks were ....
Toadflax Pug
Double Line - sadly a bit knackered!
And a couple of nice species I don't see here ....
Small Seraphim
Sharp-angled Peacock
There were few micros, but there was this Grapholita sp. that I've
retained for gen det ...
It may well be Grapholita funebrana, and this one from the garden on
02/06/2022 probably is too ....
Whilst I'm posting tortrixes, here a couple more from the garden ....
Grapholita janthinana - one of five flying about in the garden today
Gypsonoma oppressana from the trap last night
Clearwing lures in the garden have so far brought both Currant and
Red-belted - so good to confirm that last years purple patch with the garden
lures was not a fluke. I've also managed to see a few new species whilst out
and about including Solomon's Seal Sawfly, Broad-leaved Helleborine and
Stigmella floslactella.
Otherwise, here's some larval life from Watermead CP North on Saturday ....
Mullein
Willow Ermine
We went to see The Wonder Stuff on Saturday night, and they were absolutely
brilliant - it was just like stepping back 31 years to when we last saw them.
We were also meant to see Manic Street Preachers at Peterborough but that got
cancelled at the last minute due to James Dean Bradfield having Covid!
For a musical interlude though, I've been listening to loads of the
ridiculously massive works of Klaus Schulze. c50years of electronic ambient
stuff. Another one that is gone this year along with Vangelis.
On Friday we headed down to that there London, not just any old bit of London
either - the swanky expensive more money than sense bit. We travelled down in
bright sunshine, parked up at Stanmore and jumped on a tube straight to Sloane
Square station, and then tootled into the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. We had a
great day; I've fancied going there for some time and we absolutely struck
lucky with it being such a glorious day too. I could share loads of photos,
but really it's kind of 'you had to be there' to properly appreciate it. And
anyway, if you're interested you'll seen Monty present it all last week.
I'd already planned to head to Ketton Quarry on Saturday to look for a load
of Wild Liquorice and check it out for
Grapholita pallifrontana - no previous VC55 records. It's one that I'd
looked for before about a decade ago on a small plant at Croft Hill, but I'd
not realised the plant was now well established at Ketton until last week.
Sadly I was beaten to it, albeit the recorder on Friday failed to get any
photos or a specimen so I still needed to head over and have a look anyway. I
got details for the area and soon realised that I must have walked past his
substantial clump on many occasions previously and not noticed - it's not the
most attractive plant when not in flower.
It was a bit overcast with brief sunny spells, and luckily just as I got there
the sun was out and I saw a couple of the moths immediately. As soon as the
sun went in, the moths disappeared under leaves and over an hour or so I only
saw one more and managed to net one with a bit of very light sweeping (the
plant is not substantial enough to take a proper sweep!). This really seems to
be an easy moth to overlook, as they were completely inactive and hidden away
with no sunshine.
Whilst mooching about and around the Liquorice, I pointed the camera at a few
bits - by far the best of the bunch being this ....
The is the second time I've recorded Cryptocephalus bipunctatus at
Ketton Quarry, and this is the sixth VC55 record. The fifth was also from
Ketton Quarry a little earlier this May. Aside from this, the flowering plants
and foliage around the area were busy with the usual suspects for the site -
all metallic green ....
Cryptocephalus aureolus
Swollen-thighed Beetle
Ischnomera cyanea
Also flitting about the Liquorice was a trio of beefy-looking hoverflies that
I recognised having seen them here before. I netted one for an in-hand shot
for the record ....
Crysotoxum cautum
A small moth that I netted in flight turned out to be a male
Psyche casta, and to be fair the twig-cloaked larval case is perhaps
more visually appealing ....
Amongst the other day-flying moths seen was Burnet Companion, but the
lack of sunshine and warmth made it feel generally quiet and there were very
few butterflies knocking about.
Keith Tailby rocked up after I'd been there a while, and after a natter and
such like I left him to it, and as I headed home the sun came out ....
I felt sure there would be some obscure but listenable track with Liquorice
in the title, not that one sprung to mind at all. A quick internet search
brought up a few tracks, and I found them all to be a bit shite. And then I
found this quirky and pleasant acoustic tune on Youtube which somehow sounds
like a perfect accompaniment for searching for inverts in the field in
spring ....
