Last night we gradually extended the wheelchair accessible path to the bird hide at Boundary Brook Nature Park. A convoy of wheelbarrows, a pair of shovellers, a fine duo of rakers, and Bethan working those biceps on the heavy roller had the path inching ever closer to joining with the rest of the path network. There are just a few metres to go now to join it all up with the paths we built in previous years. Go team!

...is wheelchair accessible paths around the nature park. So who better to shovel and barrow 10 tonnes of gravel to make the dream a reality than GoodGym?!

We are actually quite the pros at this task, having created the current network of wheelchair accessible paths around Boundary Brook Nature Park 2 years ago. Those paths stood up to the wettest of winters pretty well, showing up the need to link up some other areas to the network. Tonight we started to build the path to the bird hide (a project we also had a hand in). We certainly got our step count up and a decent upper body work out pushing gravel all across the site to the furthest point!

There might be some sore arms in the morning, but also pride in what we managed to get done.

Watch the Countryfile episode featuring Boundary Brook Nature Park and Wytham Woods here.

Some days everything falls into place seamlessly and life appears frictionless...Yesterday was not one of those days.

With missing running shoes, forgotten gardening gloves, and rush hour traffic all conspiring against us (and that was just me), we were not off to the most auspicious start. However, things took a turn for the better once we actually made it to the task: We found orchard triangle had been mown since our last visit so was less of a jungle, and we could get to the plants along the railings to weed and mulch. Also less long grass = fewer bitey bugs; a definite bonus!

We weeded, chatted, spread wood chip, tried to rescue a sad-looking rhubarb plant, rehomed snails, and generally improved the growing conditions for the numerous loganberry, raspberry and blackcurrant plants. We're looking forward to tasting our first loganberries come harvest time.