Ok, ok that's a terrible pun, I know - and I didn't even see any dill :D

A brilliant six of us turned up to help at the church community garden this evening, and soon made short work of the tasks Jenny needed.

It's been such a dry summer that she called it 'damage limitation' for now - just trying to save the hardiest plants, prepare compost for fertiliser next year from those that didn't make it, and a bit of pruning and clearing the path.

With this number of hands we got lots done in our time there, while chatting about things like droughts adaptation using larger plants to shade, more mediterranean-y plants, and concentrating water on food plants.

Then it was time to say bye and each head off into the dusk, til next time.

Today’s mission was to tackle the drawers of pots at the back of the tool shed, clearing and organising them to make the pots much easier to access. It was a surprisingly satisfying task, with one wheelbarrow ending up completely full of dust — a clear sign of a job well done!

Afterwards, we went to see the piglets, goats and the new calves, with plenty of animal appreciation and stroking. A productive and enjoyable session, combining a bit of farm organisation with some well-earned animal time.

The last 6 weeks have made a difference to the paths of the wildlife garden at the allotments: dry ground, super-ripe blackberries, and strong growth in the brambles.

We helped with two of these this evening by chopping back as many brambles as we could, and taste-testing a few berries that would otherwise have ended up at the bottom of the compost.

The self-confessed frog-fan/frog geek, Kat, also let Jeannette know that longer term the ponds will be healthier by having short spells like this where the pond dries out, as nasties like ranavirus can't survive without water so it 'cleans' the ponds ready for when the rains return.

We chopped and moved five barrows full of brambles from the path and behind the fence edges, and learned how these allotments also have plenty of community activities on AND we had a peek at where last year we'd cleared and dismantled the very solid chicken coops and plans are now being made for seating spots in the now grassy and clear space!