Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
13th June 2026
Well, I’m beginning to wonder if the half term heat wave was our summer and last week was our autumn. I have been bemused and befuddled by the weather for years but never more so than currently. And as all keen outdoorsers will appreciate – it’s hard going. Coat on, coat off, leggings on, leggings off, shorts on …. You get the idea. I seem to leave a trail of clothing behind me in work in the same way that Hansel and Gretel left a trail of breadcrumbs. And yes, with my continuing menopausal memory, it does help me find my way back to my truck! The Met Office is predicting ‘possible continued unsettled weather’ for June and the 3 month forecast is equally as vague. There is apparently a slightly higher chance that the summer will be hotter than average and also a slightly higher chance that it will be wetter and windier than usual.
I used to regularly refer to Weather Without Technology, a wonderful website created by Dave King and which did what the title suggests. A few years ago, until Dave handed the reins over to Lesley Coyle, who rebranded as Indiginous UK Weather, I spoke to Dave quite regularly. So I was shocked to revisit the website after almost 12 months, to find that he’s passed away. Missing news like this is about the only downside of not being on social media and not watching TV or reading the papers.
Almost as disappointing was to read the ‘glowing’ tributes paid to him by various TV presenters, especially those on This Morning. It’s a shame they weren’t so respectful to him whilst he was alive. Dave used to get extremely frustrated and ‘disillusioned’ by the way he and his weather forecasting by nature methods were portrayed on TV and ranted to me about it regularly. It was one of the reasons he handed things over to Lesley whom he said, “Had much more patience with the TV folk and media world.” And more than once he declared that nature was much easier and more pleasant to work with.
Lesley is still using nature and folklore to predict that the last two weeks of June will be sunnier and warmer than the first half and that the summer will be unsettled with high humidity and therefore we will see more thunderstorms than usual.
It is (still) a fascinating website, with lots of references to forecasting with nature, and folklore and lovely to see she is keeping the memories of Dave alive.
TAXI!
It’s still like Fledgling Towers here at the cottage, and lovely to see Yogi being so gentle and accommodating with them all – even offering a taxi service!
It’s always a tricky time of year in the garden with regard to cutting hedges, as birds are still nesting or even having a second brood. And yet most people will want their garden hedges cut now, for cosmetic or access reasons.
Please just be mindful of the birds and check the hedge before cutting it – my preferred method is to sit down with a cup of coffee for half an hour just watching for any activity as birds feed their young. This obviously doesn’t help if the bird is just sitting on eggs, so just very carefully have a little look through the hedge too. Not only is it good manners and good practise, but nesting birds are protected by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, so if you find a bird’s nest in your hedge, it is actually illegal to create disturbances in the area until it is no longer occupied.
Another good reason to watch a hedge before you cut it, is to look for wasps. I disturbed my first nest this year last week and was lucky to be able to move faster than they could. It’s not always the case if you are on top of a ladder or other precarious position. And I had checked the hedge first for nests – it is a tatty, short hawthorn hedge and I could clearly see there were no bird’s nests but wasn’t looking for wasps. I will be in future.
Health and Safety and Smiles
If you are cutting bird-free hedges, don’t forget my top recommendation – a tripod ladder.
I never use mine without wondering how on earth we managed without it. It is so stable with the three adjustable legs meaning it makes accessing hedges on a bank, or uneven ground, a doddle. After much research, I bought the 5ft Henchman tripod ladder and my brother bought the 8ft one (there are various other sizes too.)
Between the two, they are suitable for everything we need them for and are super-light to move about. They are also the only tripod ladder certified to UK safety standards – and the company are an absolute delight to deal with. I had mine delivered to my brother’s address (for ease). When it arrived, he sent me a text and ‘shocked-face’ emoji saying, “There’s a Henchman in my yard for you.” That still makes me smile and has added to the pleasure of using it.
Have a look at www.henchman.co.uk for their new range of tripod ladders and other fabulous platforms and garden accessories.
Remember, ‘Working safely may get old, but so do the people who practise it.’
Dragonfly Acrobatics
Today (13th) is National Dragonfly Day. I love these insects. Yogi and I often go and sit by a stream on one of our favourite sniffaris, and at this time of year there is always a dragonfly that flies up and down the water close to the edge of the bank. Repeated flight paths are a thing for dragonflies as adults will often patrol the same section of waterline again and again.
Dragonflies are especially drawn to the meeting point between open water and vegetation as marginal plants provide perches, shelter, hunting areas, and places to defend territory. It’s become a great reason to sit on that particular bank.
I think the large, flying insects with long, slender bodies and dazzling wings always look quite mystical and mythical. They belong to a group of insects called Odonata, which means ‘tooth’ in Greek, a bit weird really as they don’t bite.
Occasionally one will rest on you – I have been lucky enough to have it happen several times – and it is apparently them just resting. I’m not sure about this one though – he was doing handstands!
And finally, as I surveyed the ‘wanton damage’ done to my little seedlings by slugs last week, I wondered are slugs just snails that have gone through a divorce and lost their house in the settlement?
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