From Overgrowth to Overflow

Both Mrs M's gardens once held Beautiful Garden Certificates but due to the declining health of the owners, the back garden turned into wilderness much to Mrs M's dismay. Last week JP and Kash managed to hack down all the overgrown brambles but there was no time left to do anything with the "harvest". If someone was to clean up the mess JP and Kash left behind that would be... JP and Kash!

The team returned to find out that leaving the piles of brambles outside was a good thing as they dried out in the sun throughout the week and lost some volume. The volume was key as the bin for the garden waste didn't look very spacious.

JP arrived well prepared, bringing thick bags to pack the garden waste and some bottles of water to keep the team hydrated. Mrs M's helpful neighbours provided a pair of sturdy bags as there was no other way to get to the bin in the front other than going through the house! That setup required us to constantly switch between two modes: a) mask on - sunglasses off; b) mask off - sunglasses on.

The afternoon was sunny and warm, so we risked getting grazed by the thorns by wearing short sleeves. Luckily, the brambles were not as vicious as last Sunday - maybe because JP remembered about bringing the proper gloves this time! We soon faced the issue of the overflowing bin. JP solved it by applying some (or actually - all!) of his weight to squeeze the waste in, and proving that he is more versed in bodyweight training than Kash! In case you asked - all health and safety rules were strictly followed while jumping into the bin.

Despite filling the bin to the top, we weren't satisfied with the visible results of our efforts, so we spent the last 20 minutes making the garden path safer and more presentable. While JP fought relentlessly against weeds, Kash recalled there is a broom and a brush with a dustpan in the garage and ran to get them to give the path the final sweep. Kash almost got a free haircut in the process by getting her hair tangled in a rose bush. Luckily, the shears were not needed to free her.

The last part of the job paid off. Mrs M could not recognise her overgrown garden! She was extremely grateful and offered us soft drinks but the time was up. The back garden, though still not eligible for the Beautiful Garden Certificate, now resembles a garden, not a jungle!