Coxcomb Prominent caterpillar

A somewhat stressful day. I was waiting for the e-mail containing Ben's exam result which ended up arriving much later than all his friend's ones. At one point I thought we might not find out at all - as there seemed to be no way of speaking to anyone at the school were he sat the papers. Eventually we received notification that he'd achieved a B in his chemistry IGCSE, which was exactly what he predicted. We were so pleased - many of you will remember that he finds the anxiety associated with exams almost unbearable, and although he survived the experience he was clearly quite stressed. He felt he'd mucked up the second paper, so must have done fairly well in the first one to get that overall grade.

In the evening we went out for a pub meal to celebrate. For a change we drove to the Admiral Wells at Holme. In itself this is quite an achievement, as Ben usually opts for our familiar local pub when given the choice. It proved a very good move - all the staff were exceptionally friendly, it wasn't too crowded and the food was fresh, home-cooked and delicious. I think we'll be returning!

I was a bit too distracted for photography, but did have time to shoot this coxcomb prominent caterpillar. We found the moth in Norfolk, and she laid eggs which hatched into caterpillars. These have been reared on birch leaves, and most have now pupated. This is the last one - trust me to leave it till the last minute!