‘It’s not so bad so far,’ I said to my sister on the phone the other day. ‘At least on the cold days it’s been sunny, and on the wet days it’s been fairly mild.’
So today, when I had to get up in the dark and cycle five miles to get a lift to a bog where we were to spend the day laying waste to half an acre of rhododendron? Cold and wet. 3°C (or F.cold in Farenheit) – not freezing yet, but it gave a nice icy edge to the rain. And, while laying waste to stuff is always fun and generally warming, the bike ride home – uphill, into the wind – was not.
Hot bath and a gin and tonic, I think.
Town Mouse 
What has the rhododendron ever done to you?
It’s an immigrant, innit
A whisky surely?
you’re probably right, now that we’re up here. Still prefer a g&t though
laying waste to half an acre of rhododendron?
what does this mean?
John
Laying waste to a half acre of rhododendron would lead me to lay waste to a half litre of Baileys…
…or even a hot bath and two gins and tonic.
Laying waste to rhododendron: take a large rhododendron bush and a small saw. Cut at the rhododendron bush until it is a few stumps and a large pile of branches. Repeat with next bush, and the next, and the next until exhausted. Apply alcohol
Nick: now you’re talking