After all the scorching weather we had a little while ago, now it won’t stop raining. Suddenly temperatures dropped from the upper 80’sF (scorching for England!) by 20 degrees and, day after day, we have woken to grey skies and rain lashing the windows. There have been times when the sun breaks through to remind us that it is still mid summer and we can get on with our outdoor work in comfort.

The garden has been overdue for a tidy as working with other people’s gardens takes up most of our hours at this time of year. This weekend we were able to cut the tall hedges and they look a lot better for it – not a job I especially enjoy but a sense of satisfaction once done.

Hand clipping box hedges is a joy however, providing you have plenty of time for accuracy. There is nothing worse than a ragged, uneven finish to a formal hedge. Powered hedge trimmers rarely do a good enough job and the slow, rythmic sound of hedging shears is mesmeric.

I have heard that the dreaded box blight is in the area. Let’s hope that it doesn’t find any of ours!