pottering about

...day two of our drive to Italy, takes us past Dijon, Bourg-en-Bresse, Geneva and into the Aosta Valley by way of the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

The weather in France was much as it had been on Thursday, and it was surprising to be driving through Burgundy at the end of August with temperatures that struggled to reach 14C. As we passed Geneva on the A40, some car threw up a stone which caused a small but immediate crack to appear in our windscreen! It was a foregone conclusion that the road surface in Italy would soon see the crack progress across the glass. Fortunately, it does not obscure the driver's view and should be okay to wait until we return to Blighty.

By the time we arrived at the tunnel, the temperature was a disappointing 7C and raining. 11.6km later, we emerged on the Italian side where it was dry and 18C - amazing how different the air can be when you cross the mountains. Despite the lack of rain in the Aosta Valley, we ran into storms as we crossed the Po basin and did not see the sun again until we came down into Genova. After that, it was mostly sunshine all down the Ligurian coast and still pleasantly warm when we arrived home at 7pm.

Having failed to get a blip at any of our rest stops, I took advantage of the evening sun and scoured the garden for an interesting insect. I quickly found this lovely chap on one of the vine leaves. I haven't had time to check what species it is but assume it to be a potter or mason wasp. Once again, I would welcome a more accurate id from one of my knowledgeable blip colleagues.

UPDATE: I have managed to find time to identify it - Eumenes coarctatus. Amazingly, it even occurs in a few parts of central southern England, including Purbeck, so I shall have to look out for it when we are back in the UK...