Tuesday 23 July

We had some really good thunder and lighting overnight, storms started about 8:30pm and went on right through the night. We went out and watched for a while, the whole sky was lighting up and on one occasion there must have been about five different forks of lighting going across as well as down the sky, very impressive. Some much needed rain as well as the grass had all gone brown and dry and the apple trees were starting to shed more fruit. The plum trees are doing quite well and the one by the pond has really come on this year since I cleared around it and has a bumper crop coming, so much so I am going to have to prop up the boughs or they might break.

Plums on the tree by the pond.

There must be 30 plus house sparrows under the pear tree feeding on the falling grain from the feeders, I am surprised the local Sparrow Hawk hasn't been for breakfast although they are a bit jumpy diving into the bushes by the garage every few minutes.

Looks like all the Toadpoles have hatched, no sign of any left in the pond but lots of little toadlets under the grass and any sort of cover in the garden. I pulled some weed out of the pond and cleared the lillies back a bit yesterday so we can see the fish better, no toadpoles but one fat female newt.

The rain will help the hedgehogs as well, they are about as they continue to leave enormous poohs on the grass but seem very elusive this year.