Moth Attracting Device No1 (General Purpose).

A landing strip of white canvas is glowing beneath a pulsating false moon of mercury vapour light, visible from a great distance and sufficient to draw in in a large number and variety of Lower Exbury moths (in three hours my mothing mentors, Juliet and Richard counted over fifty different species without naming the micros present).

Small Fan-footed Waves, Large Yellow Underwing, Black Arches, Small Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Rosy and dingy Footmen, Sallow Kittens, Ruby Tigers and a host of other evocatively named characters spiralled in to join the party. Boris the puppy, triumphantly bagged a Brimstone before being hauled off early, much to his consternation and confusion.

I shall adapt the same principles of beguilement and attraction later in the month when I attempt to lead legions of lepidoptera toward the light in the entrance to the Egg.

Tunnel Vision

Other creatures dwell around my abode in the Egg and the labyrinth spider is just one of my many parishioners. Its web inspired me to cut a new route to the Egg through bramble and blackthorn, that is both more sheltered and less disturbing to the birds. It was slow work negotiating the sharp spines of the blackthorn.

Clean

Another swim today in warm, clean and clear looking water is a further induction into a deeper exploration to come. I tested the water for hydrogen sulphide and the reading barely registered on the scale as the photographic record shows. There is little if any sewerage in the river today. My own waste goes into the chemical loo and thence to a mains pipe for safe disposal – this is not a requirement for yachts and other craft on the river.

Egg Cases

Empty egg cases of the common whelk are fairly frequent spongy finds amongst the detritus of the tide line beside my own Egg. The adult whelk is less evident, though I found the shell of the five year old below (if every spiral marks a year), not far from the type of sac it would have spawned from. Both are now part of a growing collection inside the Egg that helps to relate the life and times of my riverine parish.

New Sleeping Arrangements

The hammock and camp bed between them have resulted in a lot of sleepless nights, so I decided to solve the problem by building a new mezzanine floor at the stern of the Egg as the base for a new bed. The taped together pages of an old newspaper made a template for a new foam mattress that exactly fits the curving shape. I have now had two consecutive nights of restful sleep as I dream of new shelving for the bow.

Night Visions

A webcam streaming live video from outside the Egg is showing very clear images in the infrared spectrum after sundown. I must remember its beady red eye is going to be on me. Please do go to look at http://www.exburyegg.org. I was out taking more pictures of the river and moon tonight.

Forecasting Rain

After the heat of the day there is a wetness in the air tonight, and it looks like rain from the early hours tomorrow. I hope the Egg does not leak!

Egg Window

The large circular window adopts different egg like form depending upon point of view. It was well polished by Wendy the architect prior to delivery here, where I anticipate a great many more intriguing and original screenings.

Night Light

An imperious moon is rising in an uncontested night time sky, but continually redrawn by an incoming tide, rising with gravity to its invitation.

Power Lines

The Egg is powered by a 12v dc current generated by a solar array in the nearby field, then carried on galvanised tracks and in armoured cable through the thorny thicket to an underwater umbilical cord to the egg. It is inverted back to 230V ac at 150 watts, which is sufficient to drive my cameras and charge the lap top. An unasked for 20 watts for lighting will provide me with back up, as I intend to rise with the sun and sleep with its setting as an induction into a more natural lifestyle – where the working summer day will be longer than that of winter and the annual 9 – 5 put aside.

STEnergy NeedsGRAPHIC

The Exbury Egg

Stephen Turner's Exbury Egg is addressing the meaning of place at a time of great environmental change. In the guise of The Beaulieu Beadle, he will work on, in and around the Egg for twelve months from July 15th 2013 – July 14th 2014.

Category Archives for Home