Raiders of the Lost Patio

Take sunshine, a carload of brushwood, 10 very large bags of garden waste, forks, spades, a broken-handled rake and a trowel and what do you get?

Sounds potentially like implements of medieval torture (possibly coupled with a witch-burning event), but in fact it was the shaping of a previously jungle-like garden into something resembling a useful "outdoor room" (don't you just love the estate agent speak?)

We've been working on doing up Rob's flat for a few weeks now (mostly at weekends) and the grand weather sent us out to what was out the back.

"Get a flamethrower!" I joked. And actually, rather than lugging the brushwood down the steps into the flat, through it (trying to avoid newly-painted walls - yes, you can see we really thought this one through) and then back up steps at the front to the car, it might really have been easier to burn the brushwood.

Still, in the process, I've re-edged borders with brick designs to fit those already partially there, moreorless relaid a path and, in the process of scraping accumulated earth and weeds, rediscovered a patio that hadn't seen the light of day for quite some time.

I also hacked back the vine from next door so much that the neighbours at the back lost their overhanging bunches of grapes (shame, seeing as they have a very bare yard, but it really did need getting under control).

There's still work to do - but there's also a sense of achievement having made such a visible change to the garden.