*Actually, it was Ivy, but that would just make a bad pun terrible.

At least it was genuinely both hot and sunny. Two out of three isn’t bad. In fact, it was a bit of a theme for the day, as sadly only two of the three runners booked to do this mission were able to make it. Get well soon, Beth!

Anyway, the task was to weed and trim the garden to make it easier and safer for Mr T to spend time outdoors now that the warmer months are upon us (somewhat ahead of schedule). Before even entering the house, it was possible to get a sense of what lay ahead, judging by flood of Ivy cascading over the 12ft perimeter wall.

A similar sight, did indeed greet us on the other side. Creepers and creepy crawlies had firmly established themselves and taken over the garden which was now an absolute haven for wildlife but almost a no-go zone for humans.

Wasting no time, we set to work taking back control. As we cut through the blanket of ivy covering everything that had previously been in sight, we gradually discovered a once well-loved garden of shrubs and roses hidden beneath. We even uncovered a small menagerie of stone animals.

Some ivy was allowed to stay however, and after liberating the barely visible garden bench, Abi did a sterling job of reshaping the Ivy Arch so that it is possible to walk through it once again. She even found a bird’s nest but sadly no (Easter) Eggs. That said, given the heat, it’s just as well there was no chocolate out there. Well, nearly no chocolate. Just the forgotten chocolate lamb at the bottom of Abi’s bag. Messy.

With all the chopping done, we started our tidy up, miraculously fitting all the trimmed foliage into a single wheelie bin. It must have been bigger than it looked. Rather like the garden itself. We had definitely added at least 2 meters to the width of the garden and created a space suitable for human enjoyment once again.