We had another team from the world-famous Jaguar Land Rover this week. Their task was to clear the scrub between the underpass and Berrybanks.

It was, unfortunately, a bit of a wet day, but they cracked on regardless.

They installed a rather lovely bug hotel, repaired the steps by The Bear bridge, cleaned up graffiti, cleared the path, and picked up litter.

Thank you for making a massive difference to our little nature walk. It really is massively appreciated.

Someone has started to sketch a painting on the bridge by the underpass. I don’t know if it was the JLR crew or someone else?

I really hope that they are able to come back and finish painting the picture. It looks lovely.

I reminded the JLR folk of my conversation with the previous group back in April, and how my suggestion of an old Land Rover model would be very much appreciated, if they had a spare one at the back of the car park. I explained that there was some confusion around the word “model” with the previous group…

…and how I felt like I had been a bit mugged off.

Well, there seems to have been yet more confusion!!

I know, I know… Whilst I find it slightly amusing – “don’t give up the day job…”

Today we cracked on with clearing the wildflower clearing. This one did very well through the summer and clearing it off gives it a chance to go again next year, rather than turning into bramble scrub. We could do with grubbing out the bramble roots with our mattocks over the winter.

We stacked up the cuttings on the old piles from the previous years to make warm habitat for wildlife that like to burrow.

And then it was time for a much-needed pick-me-up slurp of coffee and ginger crunch cookies.

It also gave us a chance to test-drive the new mug…

We then worked northwards, actually the path is going off to the east here, but it is so gradual that it really doesn’t feel like it.

We need to thin the trees on the south side so the northern side gets full sun. We have time on our side so we can really go for it during this cutting season.

We have another new tool, this is a pair of bypass secateurs with Japanense-steel blades.

I like them. Incredibly sharp and the second green switch is an adjuster for smaller hands so my wife will be happy, too.

Incredibly, they cost just £3.79 from temu.com.

Lastly, some naughty squirrels have tried to move our round three-seater picnic bench out of the rain, and just like last time, have broken it.

You had your chance with the seating under the bridge…

But some silly squirrel decided to smash it all up and now there is nowhere dry to sit and chill when it rains.

Quelle surprise!

I will pop down later in the week and try and patch the bench back together. At some point, we are going to turn it into a four-seater anyway, so I’m not massively bothered about this.

But it does slide us nicely onto our other three-seater bench that got smashed and rebuilt as a four-seater. On Friday we are putting it on the Dunchurch Bridleway. I’ll be glad to finally move it out of my garden.

I’m sure my neighbours think that I’m operating a micro-pub and beer-garden from my house.

Until next time!

Paul