Meet Henry and his shadow

He could be a she of course. Henry is our largest kitchen spider - he's a cross or garden spider. He does a very good job at catching flies and keeps us entertained whenever he re-spins his web, which he did last night - such skill! I read in Focus magazine that the 'spokes' of the web and the outer rim aren't sticky, only the circular bits inside the web. Spiders also groom themselves constantly to get rid of the glue from the web. Plus they have only minimal contact with the stickier parts, which is why spiders don't get stuck in their own webs. I hadn't thought to wonder why spiders don't get stuck.

F had gone to visit his holidaying parents in Sheringham while I went with my friend Si to see a friend and her 10-week-old daughter. It's the first time I've seen H as a mum - lovely to meet the 'bump', who is a very cute, burbly baby. we had a fine lunch in a local pub, then a walk round the park, before saying farewell.

I watched a DVD with Whisky (the cat, not the drink). And now it's definitely time for bed. Henry has retreated to a corner of his web to await a midnight snack - there's a mosquito round here just begging to be eaten!