The elderflowers have almost all gone and blackberries are turning from green to purple. I've also noticed the conkers forming on the trees along Hackney's Upper Clapton Road.
While the elderflowers and conkers are roughly sticking to the traditional seasonal pattern, the blackberries seem to get ever earlier. This week temperatures are due to touch the mid-thirties and last Saturday's rain storm was reminiscent of an Indian monsoon (5cm of rain in under 20 minutes accompanied by marble sized hailstones). This is climate change. Get used to it.
There are plenty of things you can do to ease the impact. Switching off any electrical appliance, opening windows instead of turning on air-conditioning and all the usual things are great. Planting any available space with flowers, grass, shrubs and trees all help absorb rainwater and reduce air temperatures. It also happens to be one of the best things you can do to help wildlife.
It's now become obvious how wasteful I've been in the past. Leaving lights on in empty rooms, taps running as I brush my teeth, using a car when I could have walked or cycled. So, now I'm not as lazy nor wasteful and I'm saving money as I save the earth. I wish I could do more, but some important incentives are still missing. Where is the government support to help me invest in water recycling or energy generation at home?
Well. Politicians have been having a tough time. Like many birds, insects and other wildlife, many are heading the same way as the dodo, or should that be house sparrow, or vulture or rainforest.
What's needed is a long term commitment to the environment, and urgent investment in managing our life support systems; our seas, rivers, forests, streets, gardens and open spaces. Join us in speaking out for nature, while there's still nature to secure a future for. Add your name to our Letter to the Future and then ask your friends and family to sign too.