Hello everyone.

Well, what a wonderful surprise, a thoughtful and very welcome gift. Thank you so much, I could not have wished for anything better and thanks also from Anne for the Christmas cactus that is sitting on the dining room table. The picture will hang in the dining room where the frame fits so well with the furniture.

It made me think back to how my interest started. When I was thirteen or fourteen my best pal, David, said that he was going to look for butterflies. I thought what an odd thing to do, but he was my pal, so I went with him. Our first excursion was to the embankment of the main railway that runs through Bingham; Carr Dyke runs along the foot of the embankment where a regular activity was jumping over the dyke and trying to avoid getting a bootful. Few succeeded. By then I had gained a little knowledge of butterflies from the Observer’s Book of Butterflies. I had quite a collection of the Observer series of pocketbooks; it was necessary to get a new Observers book of Aircraft each year as there was so much change.

On that first day looking for butterflies I was astonished by what we saw. I remember feeling excited at seeing Fritillaries. Back home and a quick check of my book proved that the Fritillaries were Walls.

Two weeks later my pal David had lost interest.

Best wishes

Bill