Goodbye Potholes in Toft

All the notices around Toft indicated that the village would be closed yesterday for road works but the day came and went with no activity.  Today they took us by surprise and arrived unannounced to resurface the road.

 I was out with a macro lens so not fully equipped for the job but here is the workflow as it unfolded. First all the drains and manholes were taped, then the convoy came through with lots of noise and smells as they sprayed tar on the surface, followed by gravel from a second machine and finally a quite small roller that went over the surface a few times. 

Finally the tape etc was taken of the drains etc and the roads opened up just in time for me to collect the grandchildren from school - very slowly!! I wonder how long the potholes will stay filled in.

My Wildlfe Garden April 28th 2026

Each year, I photograph the species in bloom in my Cambridgeshire garden several times during the spring and summer to compare with previous years. Today, I did a quick photoshoot in my garden which is a riot of colours and full of flora and fauna - not my best efforts photographically but demonstrate what I am sure others in this area are finding that the species in bloom are about a month earlier than previous years - Ann Miles Blog: My Wildlife Garden in May. The insects and spiders are also very active in the warm temperatures - I hadn't noticed the Cricket Bat Spider on the Spurge or the Collembolid on the buttercup till I looked at the photos.

Trumpington Meadows April 6th

First Butterfly Transect of 2026 completed - not a lot about - recorded a few Brimstone, Orange Tips and Peacocks. As my route finishes a distance from the car park, I looked at the various other insects on the wing as I returned to the car. The Rhombic Leatherbug is an attractive 'variation' on our common Dock Bug, the diamond-shaped abdomen is easily overlooked. Several Hairy Shieldbugs waking up from hibernation. Not many bees around considering the temperature 14-15 degrees.

Toft 30th March Bees

The warm sun on Monday brought out lots of bee species iour Cambridgeshire garden, verges etc including several Andrena species, lots of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) and also several Nomada species - striped parasites of mining bees laying eggs in their nests. Pleased to see my favourite Andrena - the Ashy Mining Bee with its silver grey hairs on body and bushy beard/moustache is on the wing. ID sheet at end.