For all you people anxious to know how the Podarcis muralis at Le Plat are doing, I have some sad news. Joop and his tribe are all gone. They appear to have been hit by what people nowadays call a 'double whammy': their favorite sun bathing spots overgrown with ivy and vine, making life difficult if not impossible, on top of that, a stray cat is prowling the territory. Neighbour Mme M. told how cats get skinny after eating lizards, well, this one looks like it just limped out of Auschwitz. I'll try to catch it and do something 'humane' to it.


The good news is that as of yesterday, Lacerta bilineata Chris (named after french one-time sweetheart C.R., the name was her idea) seems to be doing fine. 'Hiding in plain sight!', he must be thinking.