Weeding party at the Quay…

As mentioned previously, the Quay needs a little bit of help removing some of the weeds growing in their outdoor sitting area. The larger prickly ones have been taken out, but there are still some smaller weeds, and grasses, that  need to go!

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We’ll be there at 11:45 am on Thursday, 2nd June.

So, bring a trowel, gloves, a kneeler (if needed) to get up close and personal with the weeds, plus a keen eye to identify them, and come along! If there is time afterwards, and weather permits, we might also take a stroll along the railway path to visit the Kingfisher Leisure Centre beds.

Kingfisher clear up…

A couple of us did a very quick tidy up at the Kingfisher beds on Sunday morning – but there’s more to be done! The edible bed (the one closest to the Kingfisher entrance) is looking very healthy – in fact, we may have to do some cutting back soon before we are over-run with lavender, rosemary and sage. If you are passing, please feel free to dead-head the marigold flowers to encourage more blooms, as we could do with a bit more orange in the mix!

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The bees, butterflies, ladybirds and moths kept us company as we worked.

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This looks like a Mint Moth.

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This, however, looks as if it might be a Harlequin ladybird (above) – an invasive ladybird which is not good news for our native ladybirds.

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The wildflower bed is slightly over-run with various grasses, but there is colour to be had there as well – it needs a little bit of a sort out. Watch this space!

May we suggest…?

One of our activities in the last year was a visit to the Quay Theatre to do some weeding to spruce up the seating area at the back of the theatre. We returned to the Quay at the end of last week for an update, and to make plans for what to do next.

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Clearly, our first priority is to do some more weeding (see above) to take out any spiky or prickly weeds and those which threaten to swamp the area, and to do a little more planting – our additions to the area have ‘taken’, which is lovely to see. We will let you know a time and date for this very soon.

After that, we will be looking at transforming the patch of ground to the rear of the Quay car park into an area of permaculture, with layered fruit trees, shrubs and ground plants, good for bees and butterflies, and foraging.

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While birds are nesting, we will take a gentle approach initially, but hope to prepare the area for planting, and for the inclusion of a composting bin. Please keep a look out for information as to dates and times for this new venture.

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We are a friendly bunch, so we do hope you’ll be able to join us!

Our friend, Jane Carter.

Our recent AGM gave us an opportunity to take some quiet moments to remember our valued member Jane Carter, who died at the beginning of this year.

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Jane was a founding member of our group, and was a joy to have with us – she was held in considerable affection by all of us. Jane could not abide injustice in any shape or form, and we will miss hearing her wonderful husky voice and precise diction as she railed against the ‘bad guys’ and their wrongdoing. She was quite a force for such a small woman, and made a positive difference in the world. We will miss her.