Search on google for bare root beech hedging plants. Now is the right time to plant them. That takes care of the boundary with the street. Under them any woodland bulbs would do well, snowdrops, bluebells, wild daffodils, primroses. Foxgloves, lily of the valley and ferns are all shade tolerant.
Or holly, but that's slow growing. It comes in various variegated forms, get one male to 5 females to get berries.
Assuming your back boundaries are all fences you could get a variety of cottagey climbing things for them, honeysuckle, wild rose are my favourites.
If you want a dedicated veggie patch, mark it out now. Digging it depends on soil and weather. If you're on clay and it's plodgy probably best leave it till the spring. Early potatoes are good and soil doesn't need much prepping.