Windy.

Bright and very windy today with the possibility of heavy rain this evening.

Although the sun has been shining today the strong winds have made it feel almost chilly. I cycled down to the zoo where as I was sheltered from the wind I didn't need the light fleece I'd brought with me. After an initial spell of quiet the cooler weather brought more people to the zoo looking for something to do as an alternative to the beach. I'd given in and begun weeding the gravel under the picnic tables by the cafe, an unrewarding job as the weeds grow back in an instant (the gravel needs re-doing). I got a bit at the side done and then cleared the front where they do the meet-the-reptiles/creepy crawlies but then there were just too many people eating at the tables so I finished off by doing a bit more outside the main gate.

At home the new neighbours were in so rather than disturb them with the noise of me chipping away at the concrete blocks I began working on reducing the height of the long hedge by the street. I put up a rope to give me a guide for the new top line and then began cutting. I had to use the secateurs rather than the electric hedge trimmer as I have to cut through some much thicker stems. The main problem today was stopping the cuttings from blowing up the road in the increasingly strong wind. As I worked I put the cuttings in a bucket which I then emptied into the big garden bag which I'd brought out with me. So far I've just cut a little way inwards along the whole length. I was just packing up when our other neighbour came out and offered to take the bag up to his nearby farm and add it to his burn pile which he tells me is as big as our front garden. That is helpful of him. Nothing else of note today.