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Save Our Gardens


Settle down vine weevil, aphids go to sleep; one of the most pernicious and vexatious gardening pests to stalk the land is the garden grabber and I am not sure that there is yet a decent solution. Pellets, or something.

Round the corner from me is an attractive and imposing Victorian house, one of the nicest in the neighbourhood with a large, landmark garden containing a protected yew tree.

A few months ago, it went on the market and there was a genteel scramble as virtually every family in the neighbourhood with more than two children made an offer, keen to realise a dream. It went to sealed bids. It went to a developer at an inflated price. It then went back on the market only, this time, with less than half of the original garden and some rather ugly plans were submitted.

The other part of the was bulldozed, plants, garage and summerhouse all flattened. The neighbours are pretty unimpressed. Objections are rife. This is an area with narrow roads and limited parking. We need pleasant gardens and green space, not more houses, cars and congestion. To object click here before 10th Feb.

Saw a band in Bristol last weekend. Bristol is a good city, it radiates a casual kind of cool and is an ideal place in which to misspend ones youth. The music had a rootsy sort of feel, the kind of thing that Bristol excels at, segueing cheerfully from originals to covers. Bit like spending an evening up close with a Skins soundtrack.

It got light at seven this morning. Hallelujah.

I don't have a suitable picture to illustrate garden grabbing or moral outrage, so here is a sunflower instead.
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