It’s been very hot and dry, and we’re currently between heatwaves – the reality of summer now. Fortunately there was some cloud cover so it wasn’t unrelentingly hot for today’s working party.

We focussed on dried out overgrown verges, bits of tidying and rescuing the young fruit trees from the encroaching bindweed.

We didn’t do anything in the mini nature reserve – there are lots of froglets and grasshoppers in the damp verdant growth and we left them to find places to keep cool.

We also cut back the very long dry grass on a vacant plot we hope to let next week – trying to make it look less intimidating…!

We also, of course, made time for cake and to sample some of the ripe raspberries, thornless blackberries and mulberries from the mini food forest and the more established community orchard.

Nature spots today included Cinnabar moth caterpillars, Gatekeeper butterflies & that 5 or 6 of the bee hotel tunnels have been filled (you’ll need to zoom in to see that!).

Huge thanks to Karen, Rita, Gerard, Janet & Mr T for today.