Cherry Tree Wood

Dear Readers, you might remember that last week, I set off to walk to Cherry Tree Wood but had to give up – I thought that I could probably get there, but wasn’t sure I could get back, and as I’ve put on two stone since my husband carried me over the threshold I decided I wasn’t going to be able to rely on him for a piggyback. But what a difference a week makes! I took it slowly, there and back, and my leg is sore and a bit swollen but generally fine. I am spending the rest of the afternoon on the sofa, basking in the glow of self-congratulation.

It was lovely to sit on a bench close to the café and watch the dogs and the children, while sipping a proper cup of builders tea. And we bumped into our next door neighbours with their little girl, who seems to grow into a whole new child every few weeks. The oaks and hornbeams are at full leaf, and everything seems balanced on the point of a needle, waiting for the turn of the season.

It’s clearly a good year for acorns, and hawthorn berries, and hips. The birds should be in for a good autumn.

I always love the way that the hornbeams, probably last coppiced a hundred years ago, have grown sinuous and graceful over the intervening years.

At the entrance to the Woods, there’s a little area planted up for pollinators – the sedum is coming into flower, but it’s interesting that the little common carder bees prefer the black horehound, a ‘weed’ in the deadnettle family. Nearly all the deadnettles attract bees, interestingly enough.

I love common carders – some of them are very ginger-coloured, but the older ones go blond and worn. They are likely to be the last bumblebees on the wing, at least in these parts.

And next to the Monkey Puzzle Nursery there are some splendid sunflowers, peeping heavy-headed over the fence.

And more common carders feeding on a late patch of lavender.

There have been queues all morning outside the Finchley Youth Theatre: there were parents with little girls, many of them dressed in sparkly gowns, or with face paint. There are dance taster sessions today, and it felt as if all of East Finchley’s children wanted to have a go. There was such a lovely atmosphere in the queue, and I hope that everybody enjoyed it when they got inside! It reminds me that school of all kinds will soon be starting back, including my Open University course which opens for business on 10th September. For me, September always feels like the ‘real’ start of a new cycle. I can’t wait to get stuck into my biology again, even though it’s going to be a tough year. Is anyone else trying something new this autumn? There are so many classes around that I always found it difficult to choose, until I did the Open University and it was pretty much chosen for me. Sometimes, less really is more.