The Man who Works in the Garden

We have two gardens bordering ours -

one that is totally neglected,

this one,

and the one with the apple tree

and the hydrangeas.

In my very first blog post

I showed a picture of the hydrangeas

that peeked over the fence -

this one.

The garden belongs to an elderly and now housebound couple.

So once a week, a man comes in to tidy the garden for them

and at first I was grateful. 

But I soon realised that he presented a different problem.

He was on a mission to raze every living thing to the ground.

The hydrangeas were the work of a morning.

So far the apple tree is untouched

but we have a clematis that has found its way into the branches

with one slender looping tether 

 from our side of the fence.

Clematis love to have their roots in the shade

so this is an ideal situation.

But every day I am on tenterhooks as the buds unfold,

on my Clematis armandii

with its jasmine scented flowers.

And now I'm as nervous as Little Weed

because the Man who Works in the Garden 
is coming down the garden path...

and the electrifying effect of those words 
is well nigh impossible to explain

to anyone under fifty.