We’ve had a lot of weeding to do recently. With some effort, we have now finished most of it and managed to get the lawn cut. Perfect timing, as it turned out, because it has rained virtually every day since.

Most of the past week has been spent recovering from our horticultural exertions. I think I might have pulled a couple of gardening muscles, whereas Shana is suffering from a dislocated trowel. Ouch!

We already have a scary job planned for when dry weather returns. Did I say a scary job? Shucks! I meant a scarifying job. The lawn, says Shana, has matted roots. Nothing, at least according to a Monty Don instructional video we found online t’other day, that can’t be fixed by a good going over with a lawn rake, followed by a few sharp jabs with a gardening fork. The object of the exercise is to clear moss and general detritus and then to improve the lawn’s drainage. This process is known as aerating.

Here’s a strange thing that happened. We sat down to watch Countdown only a couple of hours after we had decided to give our dishevelled lawn all this extra beauty treatment, and what was the winning word offered up in the first letters round? Yes: AERATED. Coincidence, fate or downright spookiness? Discuss.