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.

Toft Garden 'Ugly' Bug Parade

I am still sorting the species etc from a garden recording session yesterday so here is an 'Ugly Bug Parade' from Toft - amazing what a macro lens reveals. The first is a Bee-Grabber fly which jumps onto a Bumble Bee to hitch a lift to its nest where it pays its fare as an egg laid in the Bees nest. The emerging grub feeds on the pollen and the bee larvae! The final image shows a Flower Spider that has captured a Hoverfly.

Toft Bees and Other Insects

 A selection of insects from Toft Churchyard taken on a warm sunny 4th April 2026 (IDs on final image)