Bush Cutter Trial

Cardiff Council requested GoodGym's help with some gardening for a lady, Mrs J, and her family. After a false start two weeks prior, Sean knocked Mrs J's door at 2pm on a Friday afternoon.

Mrs J Greeted Sean, then outlined the task ahead. The bushes in her front garden had been left to grow to an unkempt and imposing stature. They blocked much of the daylight from her front room. Their overcast effect on Mrs J's house called for some Bush-Cloud-busting: Mrs J wished for them to be cut down to a height of around 5'4", and cut into a rectangular shape.

Mrs J furnished Sean with the tools for the task (a garden waste wheelie-bin, long-handled loppers, hand-shears, some smaller secateurs, a ladder and a broom).

Sean concentrated his initial efforts on the branches looming directly over and against the bay window. Fifteen minutes of chopping later, there was no more bush running up that sill. Mrs J popped out to inform that her living room was already noticeably lighter and brighter.

It was difficult to reach the core branches and apply enough force on the loppers. So first, Sean had to cut back the outer branches on all sides of each bush. Following this preliminary pruning, the green garden waste wheelie bin was already full. Sean consulted Mrs J on where to position an overspill pile (Later on, Sean advised Mrs J that she could contact the referrer to request a follow-up mission to process the excess garden waste).

Time to pause for a break. Mrs J brought Sean a cuppa tea that fuelled him for the next phase. The core branches were now reachable and Sean could get the required purchase on the loppers to lop the branches down.

While working along the opposite side, the next-door neighbour's hound-of-love looked on as if to say "does this idiot know what he's doing?". When the neighbour arrived home, Sean explained the situation, and the neighbour gave their appreciation and approval.

Following a final tidy up with the sheers, the bushes had been cut to size and shape. As Mrs J cast her eye over her front garden, she beamed and declared "I can see the Close! I can see my car!". With the branches cut off, Mrs J and her family no longer were; reconnected to daylight and a sense of belonging.

Sean swept and tidied the work area. Then after another cuppa and a chat with Mrs J, it was time to go.

And so ended the Bush Cutter Trial - ten gold stars for the GoodGym camp!