There’s enough for both of us…

A morning with my friend M, who I used to work with. We had breakfast first in a pub near where she lives, a very nice light place to sit and talk. Then off to a place called Grow Wilder - described as an urban wildlife hub, run by the Avon Wildlife trust, it’s within the city, over towards Frenchay. It was historically a small holding, which then became derelict.  Now it’s an amazing mixture of fruit trees, food growing, deliberately planted wild flowers, and patches where nature is allowed to do its thing ( lots of brambles). It’s also for local people - there were some volunteers there, some different communities growing on their own patches, or in polytunnels.  There was a group with learning disabilities having a bonfire and enjoying blowing blades of grass between the thumbs to make a noise - you know what I mean. It was a really happy place to be, and we wandered around for ages, looking at everything.  There are 5 ponds too. 
I very much liked these blue balls - which are globe thistles, or echinops bannaticus. And a wide variety of sunflowers.  The lovely spiral is a wild carrot flower in the process of opening. Happily they have a nursery with masses of different wild flowers and plants for sale.  I was restrained and bought just two - a meadowsweet, and a teazle.  A wonderful place.