wasps

Some brave, desperate or stupid woodland mammal has dug down and raided this wasp nest in Burley Old enclosure. I wasn't aware it was wasps until I got quite close, at which point I took my photo, withdrawing quickly and stealthily.  Me and wasps have history. I was okay with wasps until I had a free paper round in my teens and thought it would be a good idea, as you do when you're a lazy good for nothing teen, to dump my papers rather than delivering them. I was mistaken, it wasn't a good idea and karma struck instantly. My discarded bundle of papers hit a wasps nest, and they were pissed off; I was covered in strings, my arm, hands and face where stings upon stings. Ever since then even a single wasp sting will make me swell; some years back I got stung on the wrist and by morning my fingers had swollen like fat sausages as had my lower arm; I didn't like that. Hence my deft retreat today.