Mackie has been working this past week on repairs to our 18th-century high wall. It's a bit like the Forth Road Bridge — as soon as we think it's all in a stable condition, we find another bit that's crumbling.

Inside the wall, there is much to do in the garden before autumn comes. A few spells of mild weather combined with 'the wettest UK summer in 100 years' have produced a bumper crop of weeds and grass growth.