Fingers will be crossed for a continuation of this week's fine summer weather into the weekend for several notable village events. Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the cricket club's Midsummer Jazz Evening - previously mentioned here - in the beautiful surroundings at Mathon Court Gardens from 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 at the entrance or can be booked with Valerie Blackbourn on 01684 564893. On Sunday afternoon, two former Worcestershire and England cricketers, Tim Curtis and Phil Newport, will be playing for a Worcester Royal Grammar School Staff XI against West Malvern at Mathon Court.

Also on Sunday, the Allotment Association will be holding their annual barbecue at the allotments from 3pm. All allotment holders are automatically members of the association and with a good number of new plot holders this year, it is hoped that there will be a good turnout for this popular and well established event. Chairman Malcolm White will provide a fire pit, but members should bring their own meat, sausages, burgers, salads drinks etc to share, as well as chairs, rugs, musical instruments, children etc - but no pets please!

Hoses have been out a lot lately at the allotments - and in peoples' gardens - as dry weather continues and crops have been suffering from drought stress. With nearly half the year gone, West Malvern has only received about 200 millimetres of rain. Figures recently published in the Garden & Nature Club's excellent newsletter, Over the Fence, show the January-June average since 1981 to have been around 350mm. Full year totals have ranged between about 600 and 1,000mm, with an average of 770mm. So unless we get a very wet second half, 2005 promises to end up as the driest year for nearly a quarter of a century. Global warming or what?

The fire service attended at the Brewers' Arms at lunchtime yesterday (Thursday) - but not, fortunately, to deal with a conflagration! The occasion was to mark the 13th anniversary of the fire which partly destroyed the pub in 1992 - and doubtless also to celebrate the fact that the Brewers not only rose again from the ashes but, like the Lamb, is still thriving.