Yesterday I was sure this was not a blog day. Somehow the weeks have flown by but the days – some of the days were so long. By the start of last week the heat finally began to fade away and there were tiny signs rain might be on the way. Ah, tricky vain hope! Despite the easing of the temperature and gathering clouds hardly a drop fell all week. We were still slogging around the wood and garden trying to water our precious plants and hoping our mower would return from its service before the undergrowth finally won. Then a real crisis hit.

We took the dogs to the vet for a check-up on Wednesday as Charlie was getting listless and not at all like his usual happy, lively self. Tests showed nothing serious and the consensus was he was struggling with the heat and itchy from grass pollen. On Thursday morning I went to wake him and he was almost collapsed on the floor. His head lolled and he was barely responsive when I picked him up. We rang the vets on our way down into town and when we arrived they had a bed with a drip already set up for him. Jacqui left a shirt out of the washing bin for him so he had some familiar smells and we drove home to begin four days that were so long.

The vets were wonderful, caring and very capable. They rang several times a day to give us updates and we were able to visit him even though it was a bank holiday weekend and they were officially closed. Caroline, who was on duty in the “hospital wing”, was very attentive and on his last day he went into the main surgery and kept her company until we collected him. Their care was exceptional and we cannot thank them enough.

Cynthia came with us each time, as we didn’t want to leave her alone now Chloe is gone. I’m not sure she appreciated that, especially by day four but it was probably the best choice. By the second day he was able to take a short, wobbly walk round their yard and he made a point of waving his bandaged paw at us to show where the drip was. We took some light food and his favourite treats in as he refused their offerings despite all the staff’s efforts.

Finally the long days waiting were over and we brought him home. Those were lost days for us, and it is a miracle the rain finally arrived to water our wood, orchard and salad crops. We were not sleeping and just exhausted from all our efforts in the heat followed by the emotion of his illness. I doubt we could have managed all the watering as well. There is a very nasty stomach infection circulating, made worse by the heat, and the vets have seen a lot of sick dogs recently. Our mad dash down the hill clad in the first scruffy clothes that came to hand made all the difference to his chances and he is now very much better – a bit tired still but eating well and taking short walks.

We had to fit all this in with a long doctor’s appointment, sending the mower back to have a flat tyre fixed, waiting in for deliveries and grabbing a bit of shopping whenever we could. The two weeks seem to have flown past though the days waiting to see Charlie were some of the longest in recent years.

Despite all this life goes on, of course. Faced with the recent mad growth in the wood we have to try a long-term plan to get it under control. Jacqui can’t walk through the mass of weeds on uneven ground and I can’t hold a strimmer for more than a few minutes so we ordered one with wheels hoping it would help cut the new paths between the trees. When it finally arrived it was useless. The battery charger is the wrong type, the blades don’t fit properly and it is impossible to attach the wheels. I’m trying to work out how to send it back – wish me luck. Then Jacqui found a separate wheel kit that should go on to our existing heavy strimmer/brush cutter. It arrives on Tuesday and if it works we hope life will be a bit easier.

Now it is cooler the wildlife is reemerging with flocks of house martins eating the flies (hooray) and the geese and inevitable crows back. Walking in the wood last week I spotted a red dragonfly, then another, then I was suddenly surrounded by about thirty half-sized pink dragonflies. It was a wonderful sight and I watched as they swarmed around and then set off, bobbing and diving across the land. Our newts are back, presumably drawn by the rain. They are getting bolder with one actually climbing up our back door. I found a little brown grasshopper on there last night but it was gone before I could photograph it. It is nice to see some gentle, soft skies in the evening after the brazen sunsets or heavy storm clouds. Long may it last, especially as there’s a rare solar eclipse on Tuesday evening.

The dry spell means the apples are smaller this year though we are lucky to have any as the early storms stripped most of the blossom. I’m keeping a close eye out for windfalls and birds this year. They got most of the raspberries again – they’re not getting the apples!

I see another heat wave is forecast for the UK. Keep cool and safe everyone and thank you for reading. I hope to see you again in a couple of weeks.

Jennie.

(c) Jennie Finch 2026