Stumped; Where on Earth Did the Year 2026 Go?

Stumped; Where on Earth Did the Year 2026 Go?

Haven’t a Scooby doo what happened to this year!

All that I know is that it’s been manic, organising, networking, events, tending to plants for fundraising.

Who said being retired would be boring!

So here comes a brief synopsis of this year’s events so far.

We start out with a good old fashioned Wassail in January, working alongside our comrade in arms, Tumbledown.

First time we’d ever done it.

Would it be successful?

You bet your bottom dollar it was, a blur of headdress making from nature, singing, walking to the orchard, a procession of bells ringing and drums banging.

In the community orchard more singing and dressing the trees.

 

 

Sadly, persistent rain meant we became a water park again!

 

 

February, the gardens are stirring, so it was all hands to the community orchard with our resident WTC gardener Tom for a bit of pruning.

 

 

Our famous crocus walk in the gardens attracted large groups to peruse their gleaming in the spring light.

 

 

Mumma Bee’s held a free arts and craft session and introduced their young Explorers kit for budding nature lovers.

 

 

First Pop up Plant sale in April, alongside a Wildlife & Wellbeing event.

Tumbledown joining us for this years sessions.

 

 

A free tai chi session held by Dorset Tai Chi in the sensory garden, for the World Tai Chi Day.

May’s Pop up Plant Sale included the fantastic From Valley Morris Dancers.

May also saw all the new free to use sports facilities being used for the Dorset School Games event.

 

 

June was our big all singing all dancing Family Fun 1940’s Summer fete, as part of Weymouth Armed Forces Weekend.

Our first big event since the Lottery award, and our first event held on the field.

What a great day we had, all the fund raising to be able to put this on well worth the effort, with Smartie Pants the clown and The Victorian Gentleman wowing the adults and children with their antics.

 

 

July the AGM, well attended, and very productive, holding it in the park seems to get more response.

Then our annual, and popular, Brass Band in the Park.

 

 

August, our final Pop up Plant Sale of the year, (we had to cancel the September one due to unforeseen circumstances.)

Time for a breather, but not for long, as next year’s need to be sorted.

Lots of jobs to be done in the sensory garden.

In amongst all that we had our bi-weekly volunteers in the sensory garden, a couple of heatwaves, the mystery of a flower bed that refuses to produce, a hosepipe ban.

Love Dogs West Dorset began many of their walks from Mumma Bee’s cafe.

Cycling Without age, did many a tour of our sensory garden in the adapted bikes.

Our local pétanque court bustling with the open sessions and games.

 

 

The clang of balls hitting basketball hoops rang through the year.

As I write, Tuesday 8th September, the sound of rain on the sun lounge roof, I praise the gods that be, after weeks of wall to wall sunshine and nary a drop of water, finally our sensory garden plants get to drink.

(and all those Mel and I have in pots scattered around our gardens ready for next years Pop up Sales.)

If you want to find out what we’ll be up to next, follow our website or follow us on our FB page https://www.facebook.com/FORPAG