THE WEEK started off as planned with the ditch through the garden needing cleaning out.

When the reinforcements arrived on Tuesday, my Dad, once again, we set to and started the spring clean to remove the countless leaves which had collected over winter.

I donned my Wellies, jumped into the ditch with my leaf rake and began hurling piles of muddy leaves into the wheel barrow which Dad was manoeuvring along the bank side and emptying at regular intervals.