I arrived at the task to a note on the door, power tools and a whole lot of brambles! The brief I'd been given was to focus on improving access to the property. After having a go with the hedge trimmers, which struggled to get through the thick brambles, I decided the best bet was to cycle the 10 minutes back to my house, grab some hand tools and come back.

Having a lot more success with some nice sharp shears, loppers and secateurs, I significantly cut back the brambles from near the path, where they were coming through the fence and onto the pavement.

I started chopping them up and bagging into bags I had been left. Time running short and dark clouds rolling in, I abandoned bagging and made into a relatively neat pile.

There's still a huge amount of brambles, but now the roses have a little space to breathe and, more importantly, the steps are clear of prickly hazards!