It's high summer, the time when we sit in the sun and listen, smell, watch, eat berries and rejoice at the seasonal proliferation of life. This year, we've seen more butterflies, hoverflies and day-flying moths than ever, flocks of small birds have emerged from our nest boxes, and the number of flowers on the woodland borders continues to increase.  We had hoped to do a species count; in the cold quiet time of the year we planned, plotted, discussed, measured, negotiated and agreed.  But that was then. Now is another matter and events have, as so often, overtaken us.

We must at this stage thank Environment Wales for their generous grant, which will fund 75% of the cost of two new paths. And we must also thank all those who responded to Bella’s emailed crie de coeur, asking for letters of support for our labours. Many of the public bodies we approach for goodwill, volunteers, information and grants, ask (in many more words) 'who are you doing what you are doing for?' Producing a sheaf of supportive letters from you, even if it is the same sheaf each time, is very effective – thank you very much!  If you are not on e-mail, you missed her heart-felt cry, or you just didn’t get round to writing, it is not too late to pen, or type, a  letter and email or post it to us at The Eternal Forest Trust, Garth, 22 West End Parade, Pwllheli LL53 5PN.

Once the grant was agreed, work began on the ground. The path to the stream side area requires a flight of steps, and chestnut trees are being skilfully coppiced and split to form an enduring framework. Now, time has not been entirely kind to our regular volunteers, whose backs you can almost hear creaking as they lift and re-plant bluebells from the path route. Fortunately, a group of nine campers, energetic young Christians, have offered us three days' labour. 27 person-days' work!  I almost heard the cavalry bugle sound as they rode up! That will enable the two full-timers hard at it to increase their rate of progress. At least they are making good use of the sunshine.

The replanted bluebells will make a wonderful addition to those that have already emerged higher in the wood.  Nothing compares to an early summer walk through the wood, when the race is on between the trees, hurrying to get their leaves out to make the most of the growing time, and the bluebells, flowering for as long as they can to attract insects before the light on the ground fades under the clouds of leaves.

As I am sure you will agree, it shouldn't be bad, sitting in the sun watching everything happen around us – but no.  Regular readers will recall that some time ago, we decided to re-site our storage containers. This was to enlarge the carp ark and enable us to pretty up its boundaries. It should look much better from the road - when finished, of course...  We had been gently getting things ready for that quiet time at the end of the summer season, when suddenly, the  specialist crane people said they’d come - next Monday!  Tidy the site, measure, level the ground, shovels, rakes, wheel barrows, dizzy spirit levels.  We got everything ready – not exactly sitting, but it was done in the sun.

There's just one more thing. To finally complete the conditions laid down in our planning permission (as a cemetery) in 2006, we have to have a row of 'drop down kerbs' between out forecourt and entrance and the public road, to protect the latter. As public minded citizens, we did our very best to have this work done before the summer traffic arrived. The problem was, we recently found out, that the authorities didn’t know they’d granted planning permission! Now that has been resolved, no doubt the works will soon be underway.

The next Apple Pie Sunday will be on the 29th of this month. We won't be there – we're on holiday.  But Dave will be around from 1pm to look after you and show you what to do with bluebells.

Happy holidays, Bella and Colin.