Rain stopped play

Spending the second half of May in London, I was hoping for a chance to do something about the garden... but it rained so often that I only managed two days gardening. One of these was spent half at the front, half in the back.

The front garden doesn't need much maintenance - mainly hedge-trimming. I've reduced the height of the hedge on the northern side so that I can manage to trim it myself, but I can't manage the top of the hedge which divides us from our neighbours at number 9. It's actually their hedge, but as they never do any gardening we've taken it upon ourselves in recent years to trim it - otherwise the appearance of our own house is spoiled. I would like to reduce the height of this hedge too, so that I can reach to trim it, but that's for the future - for now, Mike's higher reach means he cuts the top of this one (this time, he did the sides too).

The back garden was not only looking like a building site since the removal of the ponds, but an overgrown building site at that, having been left to its own devices for some time. My other day-and-a-half of reasonable weather were spent clearing as much as possible of the former ponds area - and having done so, laying a weed suppressant blanket over the cleared ground to prevent a repetition of the jungle appearance, as I'll be away for nearly all of June.

It wasn't just weeding - a car load of rubble was also shifted (retaining bricks which may still be re-used), bagged up and taken to the tip. The new fencing which I started to treat earlier is still unfinished, due to the weather - it can only be done if the timber is completely dry. Blackberry blossoms over the one remaining arch, but I'm concerned that I don't yet see any new canes emerging from the base to provide next year's fruit. I did pick - and share! - the first strawberry of the season. More will ripen while we're away, and I've asked Eva to help herself to them so that they don't go to waste.

While I'm away I should still be able to do something about the London garden - planning! I need to make a priority list of work to be carried out, that which I can do myself and that for which I need help.