Uncovering a Secret Victorian Garden Wall

Remember how we cut one of our three acer trees down? Well, it left us with a whole load more sunlight, and a new view of a hitherto unnoticed wilderness at the end of the garden.

Upon closer examination of the aforementioned wilderness, we discovered what appeared to be an original Victorian wall festooned with ivy. Observed from a safe distance by a small fire lady with a hosepipe, I took the loppers in hand and started hacking away.

Yep, definitely a Victorian brick wall. Who knew that was there?! It only extends two thirds across the back of the garden, but we've got a plan to scavenge some old bricks and build the rest of it at some stage.

A word of warning - if you plan to demolish great swathes of ancient ivy, remember to wear a dust mask because ivy is toxic. I got showered in ivy dust while pulling off massive handfuls of the stuff, started coughing immediately, and continued coughing for several days. Oops. DIY fail, how shameful. Still, it looks much better, yes?

The wall needs repointing, but we'll tackle that in due course. More exciting is the prospect of picking a clematis or two to grow up it - I'm contemplating Montana Mayleen, which is fast-growing, scented, and copes with a bit of shade (our garden is south-facing, so the back wall is north-facing). We also uncovered an old seat made with bricks and a slab of stone, which was a welcome find after all that hardcore ivy removal.

Right, that's enough computering for one evening - it's finally summer in Manchester (nearly thirty degrees during the day, shocker!), so I'm heading outside with a homemade limoncello. Photos of new curtains, the new spare room floor, and maybe even a newly upholstered chair (if I get round to finishing the base) coming soon - it's been a busy few weeks.