Tomorrow is a big day for the garden. My brother has arrived with his hedge-trimmer and array of tools and a skip will be delivered in the morning to take the debris. The huge laurel hedge at the front of the house will be cut back to a more manageable size, the rampant buddleia tamed, and the bushes overhanging the driveway cut back. Then the trees growing against the garage will be trimmed and the ivy removed from the garage roof.

If the weather forecast is correct, we will be working through the rain, which is slightly ironic after weeks of drought, but will make the physical effort more manageable. It all feels more like building work than gardening at the moment, but once this stage is over we will have a clear run at the plants themselves and more space to organise for the future.

The idea of creating a wood is back at the forefront of my mind after a weekend visiting a friend who planted an acre of native trees – including fruit and nut trees – 6 years ago. The drought has led to a number of distressing losses, but it is already clearly developing, with a good range of insect life and more butterflies than surrounding areas. We also visited a larger area of woodland, planted 16 years ago, which recently hosted a wedding celebration. So, whilst the garden must come first, I am going to keep thinking about and planning for that woodland dream.