March 2006
Brimstone, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies hibernate over the winter months and wake up in March.
I have recorded sightings in my journal - a blog about British butterflies - over the past two years. The individual butterfly pages hold details of sightings over 8 years.
I had Leukaemia in 2004 and was treated with chemotherapy. Bone Marrow failure
was diagnosed in September 2005, with the return of cancer cells in October.
I had a Stem Cell (Bone Marrow) Transplant on 30 December 2005. (see Life
after Leukaemia blog for more details). I am still hibernating - just
like the above butterflies - and am not available to answer your queries yet.
Linda Walls
Postscript
Although my wife Linda's transplant was, in itself, successful and she was able to enjoy the beginning of the 2006 butterfly season, she died on 17 June. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the visitors to this site, who have sent their greetings to myself and our daughters, and the staff at Cheltenham General Hospital and the Bristol BMT Unit, who did their best for Linda.
Linda requested that her Web sites be maintained indefinitely. I will do my best to honour that wish and, although I will not be posting updates here, I hope that the site continues to be a useful reference and an inspiration to visitors.
Colin Walls



