Grey Gloom

Something has been eating my Amaryllis. For quite a while now! I could never find whatever it was that was eating it so eventually stopped looking...until this morning when a big brown mark on the green leaves caught my eye from across the room. When I went over to investigate I found this hairy chappy! I think, from my quick Google search of Sussex caterpillars, that it is a Buff Ermine Moth Caterpillar (Spilosoma Luteum). My poor Amaryllis may have to put up with it's destructive visitor a while longer as I haven't the heart to move him now. (Plus he looks like a cactus which is never usually a good thing to move.)

I was up relatively early this morning as The Sister and The Parents finished packing up the car and set off for Leeds where TS is going to being studying Geology at the university there. Hopefully she enjoys it and makes her new room her own- she certainly took enough stuff with her!!

Last night we had the weirdest phenomena out in the back garden. From our patio in the evening darkness we watched this almost glowing white cloud which must have been a few miles from the house. As we watched it it suddenly started flashing up with lightening, huge flares of brilliant white that lit up the edges of this cloud but didn't seem able to escape it. It was like a firework display was going off inside the cloud itself. The flashes came in quick succession, seconds apart from each other and kept us enthralled for a good hour before we were forced inside due to the cold. Really fascinating, did anyone else Sussex way see it?

This morning though it appears we ourselves are inside a cloud, the view is grey and gloomy and the plants drizzled with tiny droplets of rain. The spider webs are looking particularly impressive!