Brute force gardening

Three weeks later than I'd intended (teeth, you know), I finally had weather and enthusiasm to check the elder tree behind the garage, which was looking rather sad.

And, yes, it was showing signs of fungus again, as expected. So spent most of the afternoon taking down chunks, clearing away ivy, and giving an unseasonable pruning to the (with the tree gone) clearly overgrown forsythia next to it -- taking advantage of the mild (and later fine and sunny) weather to be out in.

Four big logs and a green bin full of shreddings, it was time to call a halt, with plenty of main trunk left to take down. There are a couple of sections that will be easy, and at least two that will take a long time to saw through. Well, so long as it is done by Bonfire Night, when the big bits can go on the village bonfire…