LAST weekend would have been a very good time for getting loads of gardening done.

The weather was absolutely perfect. Gloriously bright sunshine, but with just enough chill in the air to prevent it getting uncomfortable whilst undertaking hard physical labour.

There was such a lot to do in my garden as well. I needed to finish clipping the front hedge. My neighbours had done their side before Christmas, and my rather ragged top was letting the side down. The front lawn too needed a good cut. It is mostly moss, which stays much neater than grass (and is incredibly sensuous under bare toes), but there is just enough of the latter left in it to make it look untidy if it's not mown regularly. The cobbles along the front path could have done with another weed. Nick had been out last weekend with a weed gun (the long-handled mini-flamethrower means you don't have to bend to get rid of unwanted greenery on the ground) and zapped half of the pathway.

The top still needed a good going-over though, and that's the bit that is most obvious from the gate, so really that should have been the priority. I have already clipped the lavender lining the path to the front door, so that looked fine, but some of the plum slate had been disturbed from underneath them and thrown onto the path (usually black birds searching for grubs, or the cat scratching around), and that needed sweeping back.

It was not much, but it would have been quite a pleasurable undertaking in the warm spring sunshine. Unfortunately I was unable to take part in any form of horticultural activities last weekend. The nearest I got to gardening was reclining in a deckchair on the lawn, reading the Gardeners World magazine. I was (and still am) out of action as a result of a distantly related gardening injury.

On Wednesday I spent a wonderful afternoon sitting outside at Nature's World with two visitors from York. They wanted some assistance in designing their garden and had brought with them photographs, pictures and plans of their plot. It was very pleasurable work, sipping chilled drinks on the picnic tables of the White garden patio, whilst scribbling on various bits of paper. We worked together in coming up with a suitable solution to all their problems.

It was all done during work time, and as part of the service that we can offer to our visitors, so I expected no form of repayment. However, as a thank you they left me a few bottles of wine in the main office (always a good present for any gardening participant). Whilst unloading the car as I returned home though one of the bottles slipped through the plastic carrier bag. Thanks to lightening quick reactions, I stuck my foot out to prevent the bottle from smashing on the dining room tiles. Unfortunately it landed squarely and with full force on my right big toe. I had removed my steel toe-capped boots just seconds before so as not to walk dirt into the house. Consequently I now have about five weeks of hobbling around with a crushed and broken big toe, with the prospect of my nail slowly coming off to look forward to. I just hope that the neighbours don't mind too much about the delay in evening up the untidy hedge, and at least the weeds will be easier to dig up if they are left to grow that little bit bigger, won't they?

It's not all bad news though, the bottle survived the impact. Mind you, I was forced to had to drain it in order to numb the pain in the toe.

www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/ leisure/gardening.html

* Catch Brigid every Sunday on Radio Cleveland's Ask about Gardening from noon till 2pm.

Published: 29/03/2003