And look who came inside for a visit
Field Notes
No. 04
Southern Hawker
12th August 2026
And another new spot
At a glance
SpeciesSouthern Hawker
Latin nameAeshna cyanea
FamilyAeshnidae
SizeBody to 7cm, wingspan up to 11cm
HabitatPonds, lakes and canals, often near woodland; frequent visitor to garden ponds
Key facts
* One of the largest UK dragonflies, on
An amphibian arrives in the new pond
Field Notes
No. 03
Common smooth newt
12th August 2026
Look who's arrived in our pond!
At a glance
SpeciesCommon Smooth Newt
Latin nameLissotriton vulgaris
FamilySalamandridae
Size7–11cm
HabitatGarden ponds, grassland and woodland; UK's most common newt species
Key facts
* Breeds in water in spring and
A surprise
Field Notes
No. 02
12th August 2026
Heron
Walking early in Chislehurst woods to avoid the coming heat, this was a surprise. Motionless and with a fixated gaze, I initially thought this was a sculpture. But then the sculpture moved. In hindsight I should have aimed lower to include the
On the Thornham shore this morning
Field Notes
No. 01
Poor little crab
10 August 2026
At a glance
SpeciesPennant's Swimming Crab
Latin namePortumnus latipes
FamilyCarcinidae
SizeCarapace up to 20mm across
HabitatBurrows in wet sand on sheltered sandy beaches, especially at low tide
Key facts
* Also known as the Slender Swimcrab
* Its back legs
A thing happened and it has broken my heart a bit
I need to write about what happened in order to file it away for posterity. There will eventually be a separate blog post of leadership lessons or somesuch but this is about the core of what happened and how I feel now. I am sad and angry.
You'll
A date with the dinos
Thursday 16th July 2026
In the dim and distant past I lived just across the road from Crystal Palace Park on the very edge of the border with Lewisham. It would be dishonest to say that we often went for strolls in the park in those pre-baby, pre-dog
Why do big corporations always ruin things?
Medivet asked about my recent experience, so I told them. I don't think they would really want me to copy my review and post it on Google. Not really.
"I first registered with The Laurels in 2022 on my return from Hong Kong. I did not want
Autumn in the country
I've been round and about recently and regular readers of my blog will know that I post a lot of mushroom pictures at this time of year. I find it fsacinating how the fruiting bodies appear overnight; their varieties; the difficulties people have in identifying them definitively; that
Bread and butter
I am so sorry. My poor blog has been neglected, if not by my heart. I have incomplete posts but I've had a lot on. Maybe I'll be able to post my Türkiye and mushroom and autumn colour thoughts soon.
I had a craving for bread
Why is it so easy to throw us under a bus?
I emailed my (now Labour) MP this morning. Here is the body of my message:
Dear Liam,
I hope you’re well.
I was on our LibDem stand in Beckenham yesterday and at one point found myself standing up for you as our MP when a visitor to our stall
Keep calm and carry on
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Dr Martin Luther King Jr.