Treat myself to a relaxing afternoon of reading on the terrace, with grapes and blueberries. A hornet from the nest above our front door joins me and I bequeath her a nice juicy grape. I place it on the wooden table, opposite is my plate. We both enjoy the sun, she nibbles on the grape from different positions. Sometimes she sits on top of the fruit, sometimes on the table. When it's very quiet, I can even hear the grape’s shell being pierced. The feelers move antennae-like over and over in different directions. I try to make sense of it, but obviously what she perceives escapes me. Her beautiful large black eyes, composed of many individual facets, and the tapered face with filigree mouthparts form a perfect countenance with the well-proportioned spots and stripes. Our little afternoon community feels harmonious and balanced.
After a while, she takes a break, much like me, who keeps putting the book aside and looking out at the landscape or watching and photographing the hornet. I would like to know how she feels about the encounter. What else does she perceive besides the images we both see? What do the 3 ocelli, mysterious tools of vision and balance distributed across the forehead, tell her? When the sun stops shining on the terrace, I say goodbye to my afternoon companion. It was a pleasure to meet her. I hope she still has some beautiful late summer days.