It has broken my hart today to see the snow drops doing their very best to pop up from under a carpet of ivy and old leaves that cover the bank at the front of the cottage.  My broken hart is down to the fact that for the second year running I had no option but to walk over them in an effort to clear the bank of all the over grown tangle of shrubs and trees who call this area home.  We had intended to put in a solid two hours on this work but in the end we spent over three and a half hours chopping and clipping and chain sawing everything in sight!  Then there was the mammoth task of hauling all of this up the drive towards the composting area ready for processing.  The pile is almost as high as the garage and if the weather holds we will start processing tomorrow.  I must say that all this work has opened up the area and when the Ivy has been cleared then planting can begin.  A hot bath and some aspirin now beckon.