Mrs L had been suffering from sciatica and was unable to do what she wanted to in the garden. The fence between her garden and the neighbour’s had been knocked down in the spring storms and this had caused a number of issues.

The immediate priority was to clear the way to move an old beehive (with no bees resident - but still very much alive with slugs, snails and spiders) from its position where it was blocking the light from a cluster of Mrs L’s favourite plants.

To do this we first had to decide which of various rotting backs of compost to keep and which to empty and throw away, with Mrs L giving instructions. This was managed in short order and then some paving stones were moved to make way for the hive beside the fence.

Finally the hive was emptied of its store of wood and then moved across to its new position.

The last task was a spot of weeding by the back door of the house, while we chatted about the history of the area and the old orchard which had once been there.