Facing my fears.

Looks like a type of shield bug Mouldy, they do eat a little bit of leaf but I normally leave them as they don't do much damage really.

Ooooh , brave getting so close to that , Mouldy .

There are loads of shield bugs round here - they seem to love the birch trees. It's a very pretty one, though (apart from the expression!) - the ones here are more green - perhaps because they favour the birches.

Thanks for the heads-up, Surrey, Snoop & Mel!
I have to admit Driad (and you guys, too) that I felt sorry for this woe-begotten wee thing, when I saw the 'expression' on it's face.
Glad now I didn't pick it up. Thanks for the tip, Snoop! Lol.

I hope you don't dream about him Mouldy ;)

I once ate a raspberry in the garden, but soon spat it out when I had a bitter taste.
Then I discovered it was one of these things on the raspberry, and I hadn't seen it :o((

I call them 'grey' moments, when they happen to me, Snoop.
My brain has aged & gone grey. Lol.

Nah, the terror has gone, Scottish.
How could I fear a poor wee soul like that?

Hywel, you murderer. Lol.

lol ! :o)

Was listening to a programme on the radio some while back.
The old story came up about how each person accidently & unknowingly swallows an average of eight very small spiders in their lifetime.
Turns out, when the researchers tracked the story to it's originator, that he'd been too lazy & had just plucked a number out of his head without any facts to back it up.
His collegues, who were horrified at the thought of swallowing spiders, were too sqeamish to double-check his 'research'.
I'm disappointed, in a strange way, that it turned out to be just another myth. Lol.

Well I for one am pleased to hear that Mouldy....It's been very uncomfortable sleeping with a stocking over my head ;O)

Stop bragging about your bedroom antics, Annie. ;-)
Stick to the facts, Ma'am, we're talking insects. Lol.

Having said that...stop robbing banks, too!

You'll be further pleased to hear that the vast majority of spiders hate to get wet, so they will NOT crawl into our mouths!
Those that do exist around watery habitats prefer to stay there. Lol

Burl Ives knew an old lady who swallowed a fly , amongst other things , Mouldy !

When I was young I used to swallow flies quite often when I was riding in the woods. Not very nice, even though they were mostly very small. I usually managed to spit most of them out.

Now how's that for an edifying comment?

Yes I've spat out a few flies Melchi, most annoying when they land in your Martini ;O)

I think the expression on his 'face' is sad with the wisdom of the ancients ....my dog looks like that when she wants a sweetie:-))

What I can't understand, Driad, is why didn't she bone & joint the cow & horse first. ;-)
I s'pose we'll have to settle for the average person swallowing eight flies, Mel, now the spiders have been ruled out, but think of all that protein! Lol.
Annie, I usually grab the wee blighters & force them to spit out what they've drunk. :-)
It's the begging or it-wasn't-me look, BA. Lol.

The insects that fall into our drinks , if rescued , come out rather intoxicated , Annella .
That old lady must have had an incredible digestive system , Mouldy .

Except for the horse, of course, Driad. Lol.
Hereabouts, we describe an awfully large bite of food as ...'something that would choke a horse!'
Poetic justice for the old woman's gluttony. ;-)
A strange footnote...the past two days have seen a shieldbug (Thanks folks!) land near me.
It just sits there, studying me for some time, then flies away.
Probably my imagination.
Probably not the same one.
Or maybe it is & it's just having a wee mid-flight rest.
Or maybe it's... LOL.

Is it a refugee from The Fly , Mouldy ?
I think the old lady was guilty of one of the deadly sins , for sure .
How about a scabby horse when your hungry , or one between two mattresses ?

It's probably just getting it's bearings, using the flagstones, Driad, or taking up heat from them.
Or it's seeking me out to give me the benefit of it's pitying glance! Lol.
Never heard the mattress expression before.
I've a neighbour with a face like a horse, though.
Come to think of it...she's a nag, too! Lol.

Mouldy !!!

What? ;-)

You're impossible !!
Poor woman !

Nah, she's a needy wee stirrer, I kid you not!
Besides, she does look like a horse & endlessly nags her partner, a really nice bloke.

Sounds like she could do with a muzzle .

So she is a bad 'neigh' bour then Mouldy!

Stop horsing around, you two. Lol.
She spent most of Wednesday night sending me abusive, foul-mouthed & threatening txts.
I'm assuming she was drunk, as that's her usual excuse for unaceptable behaviour.
She seems to be permanently drunk, or knocking on folks' doors to borrow dosh for a 'curer' or fags.
Minnie the Mooch. Lol.