Monday 16 July

• Another big fire locally. This time on Wanstead Flats which is part of Epping Forest. Two hundred and twenty five fire fighters and 40 fire engines needed to tackle a grass fire engulfing an area the size of 100 cricket pitches. The smoke could be seen for miles. I didn't notice it even though I was in the garden for the early part of the evening (the garden is the opposite side of the house to Wanstead).
• To Kew on Thursday and had a picnic underneath a tree. The wildflower beds around The Hive had no more and quite probably less bees than my garden that made me feel a bit better about my efforts. There have been cabbage whites and gatekeepers in the garden all week, and often a comma. The marjoram and tarragon(?) have often had a dozen or more insects on - last seen several years ago. I am very pleased about that.
• I've had someone to measure up for some shelves in the out-side lavatory. He used a lot of second hand wood. If that works out I have several other wooden items I would like him to make.
• First rain for ages - light rain though went on for a while on Friday evening, but very little difference to the garden.
• Skype meeting at work where we were in summery tops and the person skyping in from Wales was in a hooded fleece - it was bucketing it down with rain where she was!
• A new cycle workshop has opened near me - www.cycleway.co.uk. I popped in on Saturday to get a replacement screw for the chain guard and also for the spokes holding on the mud guard to the hub of the front wheel. The latter had only fallen out on my bike ride that morning. They supplied and fitting both screws, bolts and washers for £5.
• Got home from Kayaking Sunday afternoon to find a large slug inside my spray deck. As the only grass I had sat on, which was when I was getting back into the Navigation from the weir was dry and brown. It must have got inside the boat while it was in the shed and then moved on to my spray deck while I was paddling.
• My second gooseberry crumble. The gooseberries early this year and are starting to drop off the bush.