Keeping me on my toes

It's such a long time since the council cut the grass verges that the wild grasses are shoulder high and waving in my face as I cut a swathe through Africa (Rolux Magnummmm!). Most of you are probably too young to remember that advert for lawnmowers. This grass needs to be cut with a scythe now - I have started at the edge, pulling out handfuls, and have surprisingly made good inroads. The worst part is that hidden under all the grass are thousands of thorn plants which grew unchecked throughout winter and have already dropped their seeds, the infamous 'dubbeltjies' which cling tenaciously to the dogs' coats and have to be cut out. This leaves the dogs looking moth-eaten unless they also have a lawnmower cut and are shaved completely.

When I was much younger, I used to pull the thorns out as soon as I saw the new ones shooting and this kept them under control for years; the main reason for my hard labour was because they were the 'duiweldoring' - devil thorns - which have three unbelievably vicious spikes. Anyone who used to wear those soft rubber flipflops in the 60s can attest to how easily they go right through the soles - it was the worst thing ever to get one in your heel - it felt as though a bone had been penetrated. And every time anyone went out on a bicycle, it was instant punctures all round.

So the 'duiweldoring' is gone, but my mission for the next few seasons will be to eradicate the 'dubbeltjie'. The porcupine is digging up the pesky onion weed, so between the two of us, there should be a vast stretch of park-like area in front of the house in a year or so! Of course, that might encourage picnic parties, as happens further along the road, so a few well-placed bougainvilleas might need to be introduced, or a bank of aloes.

Now there's an idea - a 90ft stretch of aloes and proteas sounds like a much better option than a lawn, and it won't need watering. Better get my spade out now!