Oh, Stilly. If you lived with Himself, you would never forget the chocolate.

The air is alive with the racket of chainsaws and woodchipper as the Lott family of Tim's Tree Service take down our rotten poplar tree before it can fall on the neighbours' roof. Then they will move on to three scraggly white cedars, also threatening the neighbours' roof, and the oversized yew bushes in front of the house that give our verandah the air of an Irish churchyard -- not conducive to an evening beer.

Steve the Garden Guy has given up his freelance business in favour of full-time employment, so I need to find another jobbing gardener. Quickly. When Tim & Co finish logging out the property, the front of the house will look very bald.