It’s been a fruitful two days dans le jardin de la maison Strachan. Not only have I mowed both lawns, undertaken border work, jet blasted a patio and commenced staining the fencing, I also acquired the French translation of ‘in the garden at the Strachan home’.

Each task was undertaken with Verve and Gusto. Well, apart from learning the smidgen of French, which I did after Verve and Gusto had gone home.

I find jet blasting a patio and treating wooden fencing tasks at polar ends of the enjoyment spectrum.

Removing the ingrained detritus resultant from the seemingly endless winter rainfall to expose a ‘good as new’ paving slab is surprisingly therapeutic.

Additionally, I’ve found the enjoyment levels go up a notch if you incorporate a good soaking of a family member during this work. A word of warning, though, never soak Verve and Gusto as they are right miserable…