We'll DIY Pretty Much Anything, But Not This

So last week I left Andre at home by himself for the day while I went to work and the kids went to nursery, and this is what happened:

Bye bye, enormous tree branches that our neighbours (not the champagne-passing ones, the other ones) helpfully allowed to grow several metres into our garden and block all our sunlight.

Here's how these trees looked at the end of the summer last year (taken from Eva's bedroom window):

Andre also went completely wild and instructed the tree surgeons to cut down the huge and terrifyingly dead tree at the side of the house that has been creaking ominously in the recent crazy winds. 

Apparently it came down and basically exploded upon impact in a giant cloud of rotten wood and sawdust with branches flying everywhere. Lovely stuff.

Where'd it go?

We still need to thin the acers and cut back the hawthorns in the bottom corner, but it's amazing how much more light we get at the back of the house now, even on a dark Mancunian January day. 

On the agenda for the weekend - finally finish the freaking cellar ceiling insulation. Finally finish painting Natalia's wardrobe. Finally start stripping off the red master bedroom wallpaper? What a crazy thought.