Oh lockdown, it has really driven everyone a bit crazy, hasn't it?
We live in a 3 storey terrace. From our top floor we have a good view of the neighbours' (traditional terrace - long and thin) gardens (and they will have the same of ours). Neither side had ever done much with theirs. We'd done a bit more - patio pots, raised beds for veg and flower beds up the side, we struggle a bit to keep on top of it, we go through gardening "phases", then it gets a bit messy again, but do have a gardener in monthly so it never gets completely out of hand, and the grass is cut weekly in summer.
We've not been great at gardening over lockdown. 3 lots of homeschooling (all kids primary aged, haven't been at school since March where we live) and both adults working (other than a brief spell where I was off) hasn't left much time! The gardener has still been in, but there are definitely some weeds in the flower beds...
Neighbours on one side (we don't usually see much of them - no kids, both work full time, so it's just a case of taking in the odd parcel for them and saying hello if we're in the street at the same time) have both been furloughed since April. They have blitzed their garden and done a brilliant job - landscaping, planting, the works. It does look fab.
They've just come round to speak to me to ask if we could do a better job of keeping on top of our garden. Apparently they keep weeding, but weeds keep growing back, and they think that the seeds are blowing through the fence - so they need us to keep our weeds down as if we didn't have any then neither would they.
Aargh. I don't have time! And it's not awful, it's really not - just not National Trust style immaculate. I waffled something about being busy, hopefully we'd get to it soon, etc etc. They said they hoped that it would be this weekend as their weeds keep growing and they won't have time to weed as much when they're back at work soon. This is a bit bonkers, no? Weeds popping up in flower beds should be expected?
On the plus side, they've never once complained about 3 noisy children having been in the garden a lot for the last 4 months. I'm probably overreacting as I'm at max capacity and not getting through my "to do" list as it is...