Hi ! I'm Robin Lovelock, and this private* "Garden" page is to aid June and I getting some work done in our wilderness of a garden. Pictures say more than a thousand words, and it should save everyone a lot of time in agreeing what work should be done next. * it was "private" but soon became public :-)

Our full contact details are on that "Contact" page above, and our address is 22 Armitage Court, Sunninghill, Ascot, Berks SL5 9TA. Tel 01344 620775. My mobile is 07736 353 404 and my email address is robin@gpss.co.uk.

I'm looking for someone who is able to start small, agreed bits of work soon, at a sensible cost. I suggest we agree an hourly rate, and each session might typically involve one or two men, working for 2 or 3 hours. We have most of the tools needed, including ladders - with the possible exception of a vehicle to take material away, or a heavy duty shredder. The most practical approach will probably involve shredding then composting at the end of our back garden, so a vehicle may not be needed.

If you are busy with other work, so there are interruptions, it will be good if our family or another helper can continue, so that we continue to make good progress. Payment can be "cash in hand", on the day, and we need little more than an exchange of emails, paper notes, or texts, to ensure there are no misunderstandings on things like the work itself or costs. All work will be at your own risk and/or that of your insurance.

Practically all this page was done in 2016, including the photos. This paragraph was added in March 2018, and extra jobs added, like the ponds to be replaced or repaired. We may start with just one man, using the tools I already have, working an agreed number of hours each day. e.g. 5 hours. The tasks, such as those listed below, would be agreed. There is also other work, involving our Roof , including putting in a French Door, Lantern Windows, and decking. See picture below. Maybe you know someone else to continue this garden and/or "roof" work ? Money is not a problem - but I don't like wasting it :-)

Here are our priority tasks for the garden:

• 1. Saw down agreed branches off fig and other trees, so can be easily moved to be cut into logs.
• 2. Cut into logs of no longer than 10 inches / 25cm, and stack with others near our front door.
• 3. Snip up smaller twigs for kindling, and/or snip or shred as chippings to put under bushes at end of garden.
• 4. Clear weeds from stream; move weeds/wildlife and syphon water from top pond, to expose the crack(s).
• 5. Cut back the Wysteria, Ivy, and Grape Vine on rear extention wall, chop up and dump as above.
• 6. find and root out any brambles around garden, shred, and dump at back ( or take away ).
• 7. Cut back wild rhodendrons and vegitation: shred into seperate compost heap at end, or take away.
• 8. Repair leaks in top pond. Robin may assist with this.
• 9. Repair or replace the bottom pond. e.g. with a similarly sized glass fibre pond, or with concrete.
• 10. Repair or replace the pipes taking rain water from roof to ponds. Repair or replace pond pumps, etc.
• Other work to be agreed, at the time, or in the longer term.

I hope we can get much of this work done well before the summer. If not, we can clear the autumn leaves with our blower, either to new compost heaps at the end of our garden, or over into our neighbours gardens :-)

After this urgent work, that planned for next year includes the front garden, such as trimming of bushes. More substantial tasks, are best done as "fixed price", rather than "hourly rate". e.g. That "Roof" job or the drive ( either tarmac or block-paving), repairs to the house exterior woodwork, like window sills, and exterior painting.

On 20th October 2016, Robin had a visit from a gardener, reccomended by one of his daughters, and we expect to have him and his team do the work described here, but very differently to how I imagined above. It would be a fixed price contract, payable on completion, with all work expected to be done on the same day. The big change is that all waste would be taken away, rather than shredded. Details will be by mutual agreement, such as a day soon, and perhaps starting by removing a branch obscuring the view from a colour CCTV camera up the pine tree (top left corner in this CCTV frame). A long ladder is kept nearby. If done at the start, it may be possible to create a speeded up, time-lapse video, of these few hours of work. Who knows: it could end up being part of the "before and after" version of this page, that could eventually become public, in time for this years "Lovelock Family Xmas Newsletter". It might even appear on Robin's AsOnTV page, as does that two minute video here, that he was shown. Pictures and videos say so much more than words ;-)
February 2018: They never followed up. I guess the young lad's dad said this customer was too big a risk ;-)

Sunday 1st April 2018: before the photos taken in 2016, this is from my "Home" page today. Please try not to harm the Spaghetti Trees :-)

Sunday 1st April 2018 and our Spaghetti Tree is in flower again ...

These Spaghetti trees, very rare outside Italy, cannot be grown from cuttings or the fruit - many have tried planting spaghetti, but with disappointing results. We've also tried tagliatelle, but that also did not grow. This particular variety is "Spaghetti Monstera Grande" - known to some seasoned gardeners as "Big Whopper". You can see the original BBC TV broadcast about the 1957 bumper italian spaghetti harvest if you click here or the first youtube video below. After that are videos of Robin's latest robot boats, built for Snoopy to cross the Atlantic, from UK to USA. That was Robin who saved the antelope.

Photos of Overgrown Garden in October 2016 ...