Enjoying the Summer weather -July 2026

We were unable to stay at our usual place last time we were at the woodlands so we chose a houseboat on the River Ant. Steve loved it as he could fish from right beside the houseboat each morning before we set off to the woodlands and once again in the evening. He caught several fish, roach and perch. Vespa and I didn't enjoy it so much. Vespa found the slippery floor made it difficult for her to get up. I hated being bitten so badly by the vicious mosquitoes. It took days to recover from the swelling and itching. I guess the heat didn't help.

The views were delightful and it was lovely to see the ripples caused by the rain. The poster on the wall was called "Board Meeting!'

Meanwhile at the woodlands we were planning the strategy for improving the upgrading of the footbridge. Unfortunately this proved too difficult for just two people. Back the the drawing board.

It was good to see that the deer hadn't eaten all the new wildlife plants. The oxlip and primroses, in particular, are flourishing. Also the Vipers Bugloss has really taken and looks quite dramatic with its bright blue flowers. The honeysuckle is settling in and seems to have no damage.

We first planted the native hedge in 2020. The plants were just bare root stock and only tiny. Over the years Mary has taken responsibility for managing this area as well as the native hedge by the yurt. With the rain we had (can you remember that long ago?) and then the sunshine and heat the hedge was becoming very overgrown. You can see how proud she is of the results of her efforts. It now looks like a hedge again rather than an overgrown wilderness!

Steve was very pleased to catch a photo of the Painted Lady butterfly.

It is great to see how well the Scot's Pine is doing.

This is the first time we have had flowers on the spindle tree.