In the purple

The lovely hydrangea needs almost as much water as the baby trees. On hot days, it will droop and shrivel if it hasn't had enough.

There is a hosepipe ban in place, which is fine as I don't have a hosepipe. I use three watering cans of water a day. That does all the bird water and the plants morning and evening. Not too bad.

I don't think the badger has been for a while. And the robins are silent. I hear tits and starlings and occasionally a blackbird. The magpies and pigeons are still around.

This heat, though, it's too much. The blackbirds surely can't get at any worms. It's quite distressing.