Brambles and Billy Thursday 12th January 2012

 Today my task was to continue clearing the brambles that were dominating the area in front of the rear fence . I was working quite well pruning out all the branches as the first photograph shows . I then began digging out the roots which was when Billy , the guy who had started me off digging beds on Friday , appeared .

Just some of the bramble and weeds I removed from near the fence.

View from the left once I'd removed the brambles.

View from the right once I'd removed the brambles.

After praising me on what I had managed to complete so far he warned me that I was in danger of losing my paths to weeds if I didn't do something to protect them such as using old carpet . He also said that my beds going front to back might not be as productive as beds going side to side due to the sun being on them  longer in the latter position. He had a dig in the soil where the brambles had been removed from and was satisfied with the condition of the soil. He also warned me about pruning the lower apple tree branches before I lose an eye.
Anyway just when I thought I might be allowed to continue he took me on a tour of the site , after all he had been there since the site opened in 1976.

View from the left once I'd removed the weeds and turned the earth over

View from the left once I'd removed the weeds and turned the earth over.

View from the front - that mound on the left-hand side has been levelled ready for where the shed will go.