If you are viewing through the WordPress Viewer, click on cawstongreenway.co.uk for a far better viewing experience.

Seven wildlife superheroes turned out today: Matt, Steve, Reece, Martin, Marcus, Ian, and Paul. However, it was more of an engineering session than anything else.

We have rainwater suddenly puddling up at our main entrance and it is hugely annoying for everyone. So we set about trying to push the water onward.

We are actually becoming quite good at this. Maybe time for a career change. Cawston Drains or something equally catchy…

We also had a few tree branches that were providing a super spot for a crow or magpie to sit outside of a couple of our bird nesting boxes and pick off the young fledglings as they popped out.

I seemed to be behind the curve slightly, because no sooner had I suggested it and raised my phone to take a before picture, the offending branches were gone!!

We broke for coffee and bacon rolls, what with it being the first workday of the month.

It was blooming tasty and a decent chance for us all to chat, laugh and just kinda connect, which, at the end of the day, is what we are all about.

We stained our last bench, so that job is done for six months.

The reason that this one is last is because it is stained with Dainish Oil. If you don’t know what it smells like – find out. It is divine.

Sadly bench talk leads us to a casualty…

A naughty squirrel decided to give our Berrybanks picnic bench a damn good kicking. Such is life…

Possibly a clue as to why…?

I have already started to make replacement bits for it.

This style of bench was a terrible buy, but I convinced myself that the 5-star rating meant that they looked stronger than they actually were. I’m going to get my money’s worth out of them, just you see.

Whilst I am wittering on about benches, we constantly strim around the benches so people don’t have creepy crawlies going up their trouser legs and taking bites out of their shins, thighs, or worse…

We also want the picnic benches to be a bit of an island oasis in the sea of long grass and wildflowers… You will see what I mean in a couple of months.

This is a photo from June 2019 that kinda shows what is in my mind’s eye. Thanks to Marcus and Aaron for the modelling shot.

Ideally, the grass needs to be a lot shorter around the base of the bench, but hopefully, you get the idea.

Here’s a quick video of the last four benches on the southern end.

It’s all looking very good and it really is a great place to be.

For me, it’s an absolute paradise, and in about a month, it will become so full of wildflowers and butterflies that you will not be able to stay away.

Lastly, we litter-picked…

The gift that keeps on giving!

The next one is on the Dunchurch bit this Friday. I think I’m on my own so I will just stain the benches and possibly cook myself some breakfast. It’s the nearest I will ever get to wild camping.

Until then!

Paul