There’s nothing like a bit of exercise to make you feel good – is there?

Roland was cutting the hedge when I returned from visiting my niece Sarah. I had planned to spend the afternoon on my new oil painting of Buddina Beach but good ideas are often superseded by better ones, as was the case today.

“Want any help?” I asked (half-thinking that my gardening expertise would not be required).

“Yes, as a matter of fact I would, thank you very much,” my old friend surprised me.

“Certainly,” I replied (trying not to show my shock), “but let me just change my shoes first.”

“Well be sure to put on your trainers – you’ll need sensible shoes if you’re going to drive the ride-on mower!” he laughed, especially when he noted the expression on my face had turned to one of delighted surprise.

The ride-on mower had a cute little red trailer and I was to be the driver of said vehicle for the purposes of picking up the the cuttings and putting on the rubbish heap. Luckily, there were quite a lot of cuttings and I had to make several trips – I felt like “Postman Pat” or “Bob the Builder” whizzing around on my red and black new toy.

At first my assistant did all the real hard work (there were thorns on the hedge trimmings) but I came into my own later on when Roland, looking for more things for me to transport, brought out the long-handled secateurs and we went over to the poinciana tree to cut off some annoying branches. So keen was I with the secateurs that the trim turned out to be a “short back and sides” and I continued snipping along the fence-line until my arms were tired. And when all the cuttings were deposited on the big heap we decided to have a nice fire – not the green stuff, but a smaller pile “from last year”, which had dried out and was ready to burn without smoking out the neighbours. Ah, sheer pleasure for a Porch person – we all like fires, which is probably why my youngest brother is a fire-man (as well as a piano tuner and instrument-maker).

I know, I didn’t manage to finish the painting but I had plenty of lovely exercise…