Nettles...

Nettles in the garden are good for lots of insects. Here's a little hoverfly posing nicely on a nettle leaf.

Today - clearning some of the wildness in the garden - still looks wild, but less messy. Washed the back garden bench. Trip to the tip - car full, always feels good to get rid of things. Trip to the garden centre in the hope of reduced plants (in particular scabious) - no chance. Spent too much & as always it seems with this garden centre, the checkout takes forever. Today it took 15 mins with only one couple ahead of me (already there when I got there.) They wanted to know this, then that, then more of this and then more of that...they finally decided that they didn't actually want the plants they had chosen.

Varnished the bench - googled how to get varnish off your hands...sort of worked. Gloves tomorrow for the 2nd coat.

In other news, so many roads are closed around here or have traffic lights - avoid Holmfirth & Meltham & New Mill.

Other news 2 - the moorland fire seems way bigger today. Lots more fire trucks on the road by the fire & SO much smoke.