Alas, this wasn’t a trip to a restaurant but to the apple tree in J’s garden which is being choked by ivy. It will take several visits to clear without harming the remaining undamaged bits of the tree. But I made reasonably good progress today.

This is the third gardening visit and J is clearly delighted with the work that Jacqueline and I have already done; he proudly showed me his new garden furniture and solar lights. It brought a tear to my eye …