Dylan and I arrived at Gigi’s at 8:30am, welcomed by concrete rubble and pavers erupting from the earth. The compost and mulch piles loomed ominously at the back gate, the stairs presenting a cheerful bottleneck for the wheelbarrows. The delivery men had meant to deliver half of the mountain to the front. But Dylan and I were naively unperturbed, despite or perhaps because of never attending a Permablitz before and finding ourselves in the driving seat. So I attribute the smoothness of the event to delicious beginner’s luck and the dedication of Adam Grubb of Very Edible Gardens and the lovely group of people who turned up to sweat it out digging holes and untangling the terrible mat of roots where the palm tree once stood.

Amongst the rubble we discovered a treasury of worn bluestones that my amazing team of retaining wall builders jigsawed together. In the background four grim faced mattock wielders had the unenviable job of trying to cut through the unmoving mass of palm roots to cut the path. Leaving me with the cringing feeling of being a prison guard driving a chain gang  they broke through the mass with what seemed like sheer strength of will and sweat rolling down their brows. Like soldiers on parade the brick edging quickly fanned around the edge of the path waiting for its mulch filling.