Doing hard yards

Scientists don't know why leaves change colour in Autumn. They only understand the internal chemical reaction in each leaf that creates spectacular red, orange and yellow hues before they finally fall. I wish they did. We arrived home from vacation last week to be greeted by leaves smothering our front yard.

It was clear the neighbours had done nothing to maintain the property in our absence. Along with the unsightly leaves, a month of recycling waste was also sitting scattered and uncollected. It was rather depressing to see. Our car hadn't fared any better. I suspect that every bird within ten miles had stopped to crap on our Saab. I've never seen so much bird poop in such a small area.

Yesterday Garry and I spent the afternoon restoring our front yard to some semblance of order. We swept and shoveled leaves, pulled weeds, bundled waste and replanted the gardens with more discounted flowers. A passing neighbour even commented on his relief that someone was finally rectifying a local eyesore. If only our landlord had the same interest.

Of course this morning we woke to discover that heavy rain had sent fresh piles of leaves cascading across the yard. It seems that even Mother Nature has a sense of humour.