Back in December I wrote about the WFGA and my hopes for getting a helper through this organisation. One person did come along for an interview/chat who was not very suitable. I thought I’d have to resign myself to waiting until the spring before another potential worker might put their name forward. Then, out of the blue, earlier this month, Sarah (the daughter of some friends) emailed me to say she’d had enough of Bristol (where she’d been living for a few years) and did we have any work. I made a squeal of delight when I saw this. We’ve know Sarah for a long time, not well but enough to feel that she would fit in here easily. She is keen and eager and wants to work outside and (endearingly) recognises that I have a lot of knowledge. We had an informal interview on a Tuesday and she started on the Friday of the same week. We have now had five days working together and it has been so good to have her here. Having an extra pair of hands means that some jobs which have been neglected for a long time are getting done. It’s not just that we’re able to tackle some of the further parts of the site but it’s that there can be a more thorough tidying done. It is so pleasing to see such progress in so short a time. I might just get used to asking Sarah to do some of the jobs which I no longer have the strength to do.

There will be a lot for me to learn too. Many things are done by feel and instinct so it will be maybe difficult to explain some of my methods. I will try not to make too many assumptions but also try not to bombard Sarah with too much information at one time. I firmly believe that people learn by doing rather than being told so I will have to stand back sometimes and allow for mistakes to be made. I need to step back a bit and be prepared to let someone else take over some of the things I’m finding harder to manage.

There is a surprising amount which can be done at this time of year as long as the weather is reasonably kind. It’s noticeable that Gardener’s World is not on TV during the winter months as if there was nothing to do in the garden between October and March. On the contrary, I find it’s the best time to catch up on many things which there’s no time for in the growing season. My lists of jobs are getting added to frequently and a few things are crossed off as having been done.

The future is definitely looking brighter.