Friday, 5th August …..

The weather was a bit miserable yesterday but Damo turned up as expected to get on with hacking away at the long grass and blackberries to try and tidy up the front part of the block. The previous owners had let the maintenance get away from them and the most that would be done would be an annual slashing of the grass by Graeme’s dad. We were promised that the dad would slash the grass before we moved in but, when we asked when he would come, were told that he had decided to leave it until after the winter. Huh!

We couldn’t live with it any longer and Marilyn rang a young man who used to work as a groundsman at Grammar. He has now set up his own business and, like all people in this situation, he is having trouble making ends meet. Not our problem, of course, but it will be a help if he can get rid of the worst of it and leave Jamie and me to keep up the momentum.

He arrived on Wednesday with all the gear and immediately started with the brush-cutter. I thought he would be limiting the brush cutting to small patches but he used it as a lawnmower to clear most of the area. Once the long grass was lopped, he raked it up and started up his ride-on mower and tidied up what he could.

He worked hard for two days and what a difference he has made. It’s not a lawn by any means. It’s far from level and tussocks don’t lend themselves to bowling greens, but certainly the basis for a long-term project. Marilyn had asked Damo to make a special effort with a patch of blackberries right at the front of the yard which was entangling a nice little cluster of shrubs. Even after a couple of reminders, he still hadn’t got to it. What is it about tradesmen that they ignore what you ask for and do their own thing? Damo didn’t get around to the blackberries until after dark, so he had to use the headlights of his mower to see what he was doing. It rained on and off for most of the day but that didn’t deter him for an instant.

He was a bit disappointed that we didn’t invite him back today but we’ve got some other expenses coming up and want to watch the budget.

Now that the grass is tidier, a couple of plovers have moved in to set up a territory. They prefer short grass for their nesting sites and we now fit the bill.

Jamie has already started in another part of the garden, with his new whipper-snipper and the mandatory helmet. Of course, not being silly, he has chosen a fine day, and we've had lots of those.

We had a great meal last night. We’ve been watching Masterchef and I’ve been inspired to tackle some of their dishes. Most of them are too fussy and have too many ingredients but now and then there is an exception which is within my capacity. So I had a go at Osso Bucco. I didn’t have celery or fresh thyme so I just ignored that bit, and the result was spectacularly good – a very rich, delicious winter dish which was very satisfying.