WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION!

We got home from Boscombe at lunchtime today and after a quick look around the estate, I decided that I needed to do some dead-heading, so set to and did quite a lot in the garden behind the house.

I then decided that the buddleia at the front needed a trim - well, it certainly got that - and more - as you will see from the collage!!

Whilst I was out gently pruning, our neighbour, Sandra, came out and we started chatting. Seeing me with the loppers, which were needed for the really thick stems, she suggested she got her loppers and we could then “lop and chat”. It seemed like a good idea and a “short back and sides” quickly turned into a real trim and then before we knew it, there were only thick branches left!

I called Mr. HCB to inspect the damage the pruned buddleia whereupon our other neighbours, Lyn and Mike came out to inspect and to offer advice. Lyn, bless her, took our drinks order and then came out with a tray of tea and coffee - she did say she would have brought flapjacks, but there weren’t enough left for everyone to have one!!

Sandra said she was sure that Rik would be happy to cut the last bit down with his electric saw, so out he came and of course, I thought it would be a great blip opportunity hence the title!

The buddleia did rather obstruct Rik and Sandra’s view from their front window and it had got rather large and overgrown (sadly I don’t have a “before” picture), so it’s a good job done - you can guess how big it was by the size of the tarpaulin and all Mr. HCB has to do now is to put all the branches through the shredder tomorrow.

So thanks to all our neighbours - a job well done and fun too - although not for the poor buddleia and all the snails that are now in a black plastic bag chomping themselves to death in the dark!!

I don't know how many of those who live in the UK will remember Billy Cotton and his band - but I thought this song was very appropriate - Friends and Neighbours.