We were up and fitting fence panels bright and early! No more missing dog! Both girls helped the adults to lift and slide the panels between the concrete posts. No nailing or screwing required! Just snipping of the odd ivy, bramble or wild rose branches. We closed off the neighbour’s very neat garden. I’m not striving for that but I do want rid of the wildness that encroaches when I don’t spend a day per week in the outdoor space.

And that’s only the back garden! The front is being overcome by a lot of spiky interlopers. That’ll be the afternoon task methinks. There are spikes popping up like bindweed all over. I’ll pull the brown bin round.

It (the brown bin) is filling up with stuff we don’t want that I refuse to add to the new compost. I’ve cleared out our veg boxes in the back and added the neglected brassicas we didn’t eat before Christmas and discovered some things still growing but I am thinking we start fresh and plant new things. I’ve learned we don’t really take enough care of the vegetables unless they are things we regularly eat so I might grow less exotic things and strive for onions, Brussels, and carrots to thrive.

Privet is definitely getting cut back this week too. It’s easily done now the broken fence is moved. I want to sweep dead leaves away but my understanding is that they hide helpful bugs and things. Whatever I do it is probably wrong in somebody’s idea of gardening. Spiky thorns/holly your time has come!