I’ve started on the hedge. Will I lose my bingo wings?

I certainly think that doing all the stretching and physical work in my garden over many years, has prevented me getting bingo wings. But it's made everything ache in the process. Haven't got time for the gym, I did try it but was bored, I prefer being outside in the fresh air.

Well, I cut back two very overgrown shrubs today, then cut the back grass. I'm sure it counts as gym time! But then I sat in the garden with a MiniMagnum and followed it up with a glass of wine........

I envy you all being able to do so much. I have bad knees and a bad back, so can only do about an hour at a time, and nothing half as strenuous as you chewbacca. Many years ago, though, I used a pick axe to dig out tons of rubble and install a pond - maybe that's what did my back and knees in!

I've been out sawing down a shrub which I want to get rid of, may have to wait now for DD to come over with her chainsaw.

When I moved in here over 4 years ago I removed hedges, dug up carpets, black bags, a bucket & various other items. I'm definitely not as fit now but I do have days where I work quite hard & others where I struggle to do much more than some deadheading

Just had almost three hours in my 'green' gym, raked and cut lawn, cut down huge amount of honeysuckle and pyracantha
and chased off cats. Also demolished old metal clothes post. Huge pile of hawthorn to cut up this week pruned from the back hedge. Definitely it counts as gym.

When we moved into our present house, many years ago, there was a very decrepit garage, which we demolished. The base consisted of bricks and rubble, covered by a thin layer of soil, and all as solid as concrete.
After removing the solid objects, with a pick axe, the ground was still brick-hard. It took ages to dig the ground over, and it looked lifeless. Taking many trips with the pram up to the local woods I brought back lots of bags of leaf-mould and dug it in.
It took a couple of years of hard work, but the patch ended up as one of the most fertile parts of the garden.

DS and DIL did loads of work in my garden cutting back shrubs. We filled a green bin and the boot of my large estate car was filled and went to the dump. Some dry wood was burnt in the wheelbarrow. Since then I've refilled the green bin once (though not as tightly packed as when DIL got in it and stamped it down - didn't fancy trying that technique!) and am half way to filling it again. The rest of the dry wood went to friends for their fire pit and I still have a builder's bag full of cuttings to deal with. Once that is gone the rest of the garden need finishing - probably about as much again! Who needs gym membership?

HannahLoisLuke don’t we all

I've only been wielding the scecateurs today but tomorrow I must face the three tall shaggy shrubs and fetch out the hedge trimmer.
I have a cordless one but it's such a faff to keep it going, press this, hold that in and it's heavy too so it'll be the electric one.
I just hate the job, and especially hate going up the step ladder to reach the top. It only seems a few weeks since I last did them.
Need a fit, young, willing chap!

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2 full days of wielding a pick axe have resulted in 2 full bags of rubble. After digging in 2 x 80 litres of compost, I've finally planted 1 rose bush! I'm utterly knackered!

Anything that gets me outside doing anything including walking the dog counts as Gym time or at least exercise. Do not be too hard on yourself.

Please, do take care of yourselves. Travelsafar I hope you will feel better tomorrow.

It's a drag, isn't it, wanting the garden to look tidy, but finding out that we just don't have the strength.

I’ve just been pruning my contorted hazel and have now developed pruners thumb! Very red and bruised! DH helped do the very top branches and promptly fell over backwards. Luckily he landed in a spirea which broke his fall. I was laughing so much that I couldn’t help him up. He looked like an upturned tortoise. He’s gone in now with
injured pride. No more help from him today!
It is definitely a work out doing the hedges. It certainly gets your muscles working!

Certainly does !

I actually go to the gym... and because we're out in the sticks, the journey takes me an hour there and back.

Those 60 minutes in the car count, because I'm not at home hovering by the biscuit tin !!

Travel? poor you.

Down at the garden centre this morning to purchase some compost. Managed to lift 75L and 50L bags on to the trolley and thought when i get back to the car i will open back door and slide them onto the seat. No, someone parked either side so couldnt get the trolley in position. Tried to lift out of trolley and just couldnt manage so had to resort to ask a nice man to help which he did and he took the trolley back too. This time last year had no problem with doing this job so was sad at the obvious physcial deline. To top it all refilling some pots when i got home and using a sack barrow to move them back to postion once filled and i fell over backward and have badly cut my arm from elbow to wrist and hurt my left hip and thigh as i landed on the concret path,. Ouch!!! Now sporting a bandage and i have stopped doing the garden as i lost heart. Hopefully tomorrow i can get back out there.

Most definitely!

Chewbacca how about offering the bags as hardcore on free cycle or Facebook?

Pamela ?good for you, must admit I wouldn't tackle our hedge, if DH couldn't do it we would call in the heavy brigade
(DS and two SIL’s). Yes, thinking about it, it will tone up bingo wings nicely, so maybe I should offer to do ours.....(Nooooo!)
Chewbacca we had the same problem here, house about 60 years old, only lawns when we arrived here, and we soon began to see why!
Once he started, DH wouldn't give up, and had to order a skip.It wasn’t just one bed, but the whole front and back garden.?
All done now and looks lovely though.
Glad you are settling into your new house, hard work but will be worth it.

Just read my post back and saw that I'd said I'd been wielding a pitch fork! pick axe

wouldn't get very far with a pitchfork

See, you will have that kitchen tiled in no time Chewbacca!

I too am hoping to lose my bingo wings via strenuous gardening. I bought a hybrid rose tree today and looked forward to planting in my new garden. Chose the spot and started to dig. Spade wouldn't go further than 3" before hitting rocks. Searched all over with the spade but totally solid rock all over the bed. So I borrowed a full size pitch fork and sledge hammer and spent the whole afternoon breaking up and bagging builders rubble. I've done about half of what is intended to be a rose bed and have so far filled 2 huge IKEA bags with bricks, roof tiles and rubble that's been there for over 40 years. Quite what I'm going to do with them, or how I will dispose of them, I've not yet figured out, but that will no doubt be another workout! I was quite proud that I can still swing a pitchfork and sledgehammer at my age!

? Alima - I’m taking this opportunity to chop a bit off the top so I’m encouraging him to sit with his foot up with a pack of frozen peas on it.

Harsh*Alima*! He might cut the hedge crooked, that would send me off the clock!

He’s got two feet hasn’t he? No excuse.