A glorious afternoon tempted me into the front garden, hedge strimmer in hand. Ours hadn't been pruned since mid-autumn, so it was looking straggly. When I get a Round Tuit, I want to redesign the front garden. There are a few camelias - my favourite white one's coming into bloom now - and a lovely white rose that I want to keep, but the shrubs and "ivy cascade" (ie. tangled mound with tentacles) can go. As things stand, it looks like the design didn't turn out quite according to plan - which is an accurate assessment. It was supposed to be easy-care but everything grew like crazy and took over, but not in an interesting way. In the back garden, in the Grove, everything went wild too but that looks and feels wonderful, but then this fits the context. One of the things I plan to install is a pond, as we get quite a lot of amphibians here. Putting a pond in the back garden would invite disaster as Ygraine loves pa...