After days of downpours, the rain abated and Hounslow was bathed in sunshine for this Tuesday morning mission helping Mrs H with some tree pruning to help her access the back of her garden. It was lovely to be on a two-person mission again (we should try to get more of these going, HQ!) and we looked forward to playing tree surgeon and getting a bit of physical exercise.

Mrs H had previously met Luis, and was delighted to see the big friendly Spaniard again as we led our bikes around the side of her house. She showed us to the tools in her shed and pointed out the work she wanted doing - which turned out to be the pruning of a couple of trees (easy) and removing another whole tree in its entirety (not easy!)

It was time for a decision (tree). We knew we wouldn't get everything done so we had to prioritise. Of course we love a challenge, so we grabbed shears, loppers and saws, and got going on the biggest part of the task. Luckily it wasn't a big thick trunk but a collection of more manageable branches, although these were all twisted together which made it pretty tough going. We gradually unlocked the puzzle, cutting through branches and pulling them clear, and eventually we managed to get down to a clump of stalks. (And a massive pile of branches!)

All that took our allotted time, we made arrangements with Mrs H to come back and finish the job. Luis stayed a bit longer to clear up a bit and chop up some of the pile of branches, and we look forward to visiting Mrs H to finish off!