The generations remain in contact and now our children have children of their own.

Their fruit eventually fall to the ground.

Time to get in the sugar and get out the preserving pan to make greengage jam and plum jam and plum compote.

The usual time to pick them is August through to the end of September. They are ready a month early because of the exceptionally hot weather.

Always laughing, talking politics and trivia and family secrets and winding each other up and always, always loving each other. Special, precious times.

I am filling dishes of water for birds and putting out ripe fruit. Then I worry that the cats will kill the small birds but for now Nigel is almost too hot to hunt (although he did get a couple of shrews – sorry).

But none has fallen and the forecast for the week shows high temperatures and sun. I am scared and powerless to change the situation. Thinking of all those across Europe evacuated due to wildfires.