Today Miss R said goodbye to five-feet high brambles outside her back door and – for the first time in more years than she can remember – walked to the end of her garden! She walks with a stick and needs to be careful so, after I cleared a path through the overgrown blackberries and bindweed, I made sure to chop off the stems as low to the ground as possible. While I worked, Miss R who has multiple health issues, sat and chatted to me and it was lovely to see the smile on her face as the weeds diminished and her garden reappeared.

From under the tangle emerged a holly bush, looking healthy and ready to thrive anew in the sunlight. And as a bonus at the far end of the path, we reached a sweet stone fox waiting to be re-discovered among the ivy growing under an apple tree.

I left all the trimmings in a pile in an unused corner to avoid waste and unnecessary use of plastic bags. When we return to finish the task, these can be moved to the end of the garden to make a compost heap and provide a home for bugs and other wildlife.