Today was the day that I attacked the front garden with edged weapons.  I feel that the front path may be on the way out, it's becoming increasingly crumbly in a way that tarmac should probably not be.     I also felled a lot of the big conifer by the telegraph pole, so that the light comes through, filled two tubtrugs with chopped brambles and assorted weeds,  and cleared Bert and Dave the gargoyles so they can see and be seen. 

Furthermore!  I felled a number of hazel and ash trees in the bottom verge.  I don't like using weedkillers, but really, ash is a very big tree if you let it get away with it,  and getting the roots out of a steep place like that is almost impossible, so I resorted, very reluctantly, to the use of Stump and Root killer.   I intend to put the Myrobalan Plum my sister gave me down there to fight hand to hand with the ash seedlings, but after about 4 hours of energetic chopping and tree-wrestling, I just didn't have the gumption to start digging holes as well. 

Really need to attack the buddleia bush and subdue it to my will before it eats the garage, but that will have to wait for another day.