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There's an area of Bournemouth called Boscombe which boasts around 10 "antique" shops, although the majority are selling high end tat. I visit one regularly because he knows nothing about medals and is too lazy to research them, subsequently they're the only things in his shop for which you don't need a second mortgage. Last summer, I was browsing while the trader was talking to another customer who seemed to be underwhelmed by the prices. "Do you have many regular customers?" "Yes, loads of them" Customer looks round ostentatiously "Don't you have a water bowl?" "What for?" "Their guide dogs."

As a slight detour from gardens, I have spent a chunk of this week building a work bench for myself in the garage. (Previous owner, understandably, took his bench with him.) I have been longing to share it with anyone, so here it is! Made entirely from 4x2 cheap timber and about 8 foot long - designed to take a substantial wood-turning lathe:

Here's my regular visiting fox, just having a snooze in the late afternoon. As far as I can judge, he's either a grey fox, or he's a hybrid grey/red. Pic is a bit grainy as its taken through glass.

Apparently the key to a good house is a small entrance, with sufficient distance to the back such that nothing can claw them out. An interior dogleg is good because cats and foxes will struggle to get round the corner. Grand Designs has nothing on us. Same goes for a feeding station when they first appear. We made one out of a cracked storage box with the bottom of a tall thin flower pot cut off to restrict the entrance. Much amusement when the cat forced its head and one leg through but the rest wouldn't fit, so it skulked off back home on three legs with the tube securely fixed around its midriff. It doesn't try to gain access any more for some reason.

I couldn't be doing with all that grass. To my mind the purpose of a garden is to save me having to go to Sainsbury's to buy carrots. And to have tomatoes with flavour. And gooseberries for pie. I like a bit of wildlife and if it pollinates my vegetables or eats slugs, so much the better.

There are but in N. America. Ooops! He must be red fox, but apart from the head he's nothing like a red fox. Body colour is all wrong, tail colour and shape isn't right. Not sure what type he is, except he's definitely a fox.

That should be ok. It's the depth that counts. The longer the entrance, the less chance of hooking a leg round the corner. Use offcuts - that's what the wife did.

That is sad. 😥 So far I've counted about 16 species of bird visiting or living here and with no mechanical background noise during this period it seems they've all found voice at the same time. At the end of the day this is what gardens are really for.

I've built them a house up by the pond - if they come I'd be delighted.

We have a family of these nesting this year and he's been so efficient that he has had to start searching the undergrowth for more snails.

Agreed. I also have a couple of Bay trees, a gooseberry bush and pots with mint, chillies and chives in - all useful in the kitchen. The only new thing I have planted this year is a globe artichoke - my favourite vegetable and almost unobtainable in the local supermarkets and greengrocers. I may not get any heads this year, but by next year - here's hoping. Steamed whole and eaten as a starter with lashings of butter!

Correct. Since the hedgehogs returned three years ago we haven't seen more than the occasional slug. Just need to retrain them to get rid of the cats.

Nice work Jon. I see you've stopped picking your asparagus.

Believe me Paddy the bigger the garden the bigger the ballache,my daughter has nearly 4 acres they have been mowing and by the time they have done it will need doing again 😂 We are in a flat and can just let the gardener get on with it twice a week 👍

Wow! A lot of work gone on there! I don't think I could get into half that much... Most of what's in my garden was left there by the previous owner. Very old cob-stone walls abound, which give it great potential for roses and espaliered trees. Every ground surface is either paving slabs or concrete, so no lawn (a bonus) but nowhere to plant anything new (a slight disadvantage).

I need to have a tidy but I've just picked up a load of firewood that needs cutting up. That's it - warts and all. It's probably obvious that if I can make it, repurpose it or scrounge it, I don't pay for it.

I want to attract more wildlife but the cats kill everything.

It's really difficult to introduce some height and cover for birds without trees and shrubs.

Welcome bit of rain this morning.

I buried it in leaf litter that promptly blew into the pond to nourish the blanketweed.

Thrushes have been almost wiped out in more urban areas by slug pellets. Apparently they find them irresistible and they kill them quickly and painfully. One garden "essential" that should be banned! Hedgehogs are also killed by them. The local woodland here has quite a few thrushes - amongst many other species of wildlife - but they don't venture into the back gardens much anymore.

Don't think I've ever seen a thrush round here. Used to see them all the time growing up in Kent.