Another stunning run of beautiful weather with lots of energy from the sun to power the flowers and wildlife. Sadly not many of the wildflowers appeared out of all the seed that was scattered, a bit disappointing. Jobs to do included planting some lavender and repositioning of the flower pallet with general tidy up although wildlife gardens thrive with less intervention. Photo this month is of one of the barrels in the formal garden tended by Uddingston Pride.

The big task was to do our first tree survey which required identifying then measuring the girth of the trees on our church grounds. Taking part in the Citizen Science project is an important task. The study is being run by Edinburgh Napier University and The Church of Scotland of all church gardens, cemeteries and glebes. This is something that has not been studied before so hopefully will provide some interesting information. The survey for Uddingston Old, which involved the church and manse grounds, was undertaken on 26th July.

The year is passing so quickly as things return to a ‘form of normal’. This past year has given us an insight into how vulnerable we all are and how quickly our world can be rocked. It has reminded us to appreciate our lives, our families, friends etc and to help others less fortunate than ourselves.

The pandemic has given us fresh interests with nature and gardening coming high up on the list. Our teaching in creation and discipleship from the Bible is stronger than ever bringing the story to life. Learning to slow down and look at life and its wonders gives a new perspective to Enjoy Life, Stop, Look and Listen.