We have a bird theme for this issue and for next year. Let us know your ideas and thoughts. Click on the link above or see the Friends Group page for all the newsletters.
November newsletter is online
Unexpected things in the garden
A beautifully constructed ladybird house, complete with bed on the roof and a kitchen on the ground floor. Just need to find a ladybird now.
Dramatic evidence of beetle action in a log in the garden. Probably lesser stag beetles.
Baby figs on the baby fig tree.
New garden kitchen and shelter
On 4 August, Jamie and Matt finished their construction of the new garden kitchen and shelter. It is mainly made of Scottish larch, via a local sawmill. This has been funded by a S106 ‘developers’ grant via the City Council. With a portable pizza oven (see photo below).
The shelter can be used by garden users but isn’t accessible yet. Because of the mature Swedish whitebeam trees’ roots, it sits above the ground and we now need to work out the best way of providing ‘level’ access to it. We are working with Sports & Rec at the City Council on this. So we won’t be organising activities that require access to it or launch’ it officially yet.
It will be kept empty of furniture so it can be used for a diverse range of activities - for example, just taking some chairs into it, or for groups to meet and especially to support cooking (and eating) in the garden.
It has been informally dedicated to Siva Mahalingham, a much-missed garden volunteer and local resident who we think would have loved to cook Sri Lankan delicacies from it. We will work with her family on how to mark this.
We’d like to fit it out with noticeboards - but are enjoying the new larch featherboard at the moment.
We like the idea of making some mosaic friezes above the boards but need to work out the best way to do these. Maybe we can do them as a community activity.
So, in the meantime, do enjoy using it and follow its progress.
Portable pizza oven being used at the first of two pizza cookouts in August 2022.
Mini bioblitz
Just a few of the night-flying moths, trapped overnight in the garden. Waiting to fly away.
We had a lot of fun - and learned lots too - on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July. Huge thanks to Ben from On the Verge Cambridge for being so inspiring, as always.
As they take flight again, they tend to land on people, which is fun.
The largest moth was an eyed hawkmoth - a new spot for the garden.
We’d like to have another moth trap, later in the Summer…
Cubs (and other creatures) in the garden
An emerging dragonfly - found on a lily leaf at the pond surface. They tend to look damaged or even dead but are just straightening themselves out before starting to fly for the first time. After the cubs had left, we returned it to a tall plant to continue becoming an adult.
After a bad start to the week repairing vandalism, we were delighted to be able to welcome 21 cubs and their 5 leaders on the evening of Tuesday 28 June. They dived into three groups and rotated between pond dipping, exploring the garden (and watering our produce), making giant bubbles and toasting marshmallows. It was especially good to see some children, recently arrived from Ukraine, having fun in the garden.
We dipped lots of baby newts (efts), of all sizes. The children were very keen on these because they look like axolotls, which are apparently in Minecraft games. It took a lot of convincing that they would turn into adult newts soon.
Two of the three adult newts we dipped. We also fond a lot of dragonfly larvae, masses of snails, a water scorpion, a diving beetle (called Barry), pond skaters and water boatmen. Just from memory.
Creativity in the garden
We have re-started the Thursday evening garden sketchers: 4.30 to 6.30 pm for another 7 weeks. We had a lovely session today and a family with two children joined in with the usual adults, which was very nice.
On Friday 27 May we have a one-off garden sketching session just for children - although parents/adults need to stay and remain responsible for them. From 4.30 to 6pm. Just to try it out and then we can schedule some more sessions if it is popular.
One of this Thursday’s garden sketchers - amazing talent for a young person.
His sister’s lovely drawing of our produce growing - and we have biscuits (cookies) on a Thursday.
We also have a chalkboard in the playhouse - and put the nets and buckets out for pond dipping. Nine newts today and very pleased to meet Nigel the newt. With a smile on his face.
Friends hut constructed
The hut… sized for small people. We hope it will inspire play and connections.
After many months of planning… the new hut is functional but not yet decorated. Another group of volunteers will lead on that. It sits between the trees by the larch bench with a view of the garden. And sound of the birds above.
Julian (and Becca) spending their ‘Easter holiday’ constructing…
Pallet wood chic… The little window might have shutters. The front opening could be a shop, ice cream kiosk…. puppet theatre?
We were keen to reuse and recycle as much as we could.
The back and far side use the cladding from the front of the old club hut.
We used left-over geotextile from the pond, clinker dug from the garden, slabs from the veranda, decking boards from our garden shed and one stick of carcassing from skip diving.
The rest of the materials were funded by the Friends of Nightingale Garden. Thank you!
Easter eggs and feathers
One of 12 wooden eggs to find in the garden. We will leave them in place until 3 May.
Easter feathers on two willow trees. A Swedish custom that we like a lot. We leave them up until the birds remove them to make (racy) birds’ nests.
Chinese new year - dragon-tastic!
We welcomed lots of local families and Friends of the garden on Saturday to celebrate Chinese New Year. Thank you to everyone who came to join us.
We decorated the garden, coloured-in tiger hanging decorations with wooly tassels, tasted some special Taiwanese black tea, a few people tasted some rather limited-edition-for-the-crowds tiny Malaysian pineapple tarts (recipe online), sang vegetable songs, read New Year stories, learned traditional brush calligraphy for decoration making, learned about planet-friendly cooking and food preparation (Tzu-Chi UK), and shared some very delicious ‘prosperity toss’ Yee Sang Singapore/Malaysian salad. And there were probably some more things I have forgotten…
And lots of children - and a few adults - danced with the ‘artisan’ dragon (he/she needs a name?) around the garden, chasing a pearl on a broomstick. Accompanied by tambourines and drums. Phew!
As you can see we had dry, sunny but chilly weather - and kite flying weather - but the only kites I saw have been hiding in the park’s trees for quite some time. So the decorations and signs attempted flight instead - a lot. Bulldog clips to the rescue!
We love this illustration created just for the garden by local artist Susan Abbs. A4 poster.