An early summer afternoon

Sometimes there is nothing dramatic to see on an English country walk, but even the tiny things give pleasure.

Sometimes creatures are not down by the brook where you would expect them to be, but up in the trees:

Or hiding in the long grass:

Or up in the eaves of the courtyard in the middle of an old country house:

Or abseiling down from nowhere onto my wineglass as I sit in the middle of the lawn:

I think this is a Cucumber Spider, Araneus cucurbitina, and it is barely 5mm long. But it should have eight eyes, and I only see six.

Cheers!

PS: The swallows arrived late this spring, and on April 22nd I photographed this one still lounging around in Kenya, having not yet started its migration back north to Europe:

PPS: Since I posted this, I have come across a wonderful explanation of how this spider must have ended up on my wineglass: here is a short video and explanation: