Defoliating the Garden

I have been feeling decidedly under the weather this week.  At first I tried to put my lack of energy and drive down to my usual laziness.  But it has been accompanied by other symptoms, including congestion and a sore throat.  I suspect that it is a manifestation of my historic hat fever, which these days only ever gives me relatively mild symptoms, (back in the day, especially in my childhood, it could be really debilitating, causing breathing difficulties).  For the past few weeks, on and off, I've been trying to beat my back garden into submission.  I know, I should have been doing this in the Spring, but the weather was just too horrible.  So, I'm toiling away out there in the Summer heat, kicking up dust and pollen as I hack down the jungle it had become.  Actually, the amount of hacking was reduced by my liberal use of the closest thing to Agent Orange I can legally buy in my local Tesco Metro.  The results were spectacular, with foliage wilting away left, right and centre.  Still, the remnants had to be cleared, not to mention the fact that others seem to have decided to use my garden as a tip for their rubbish, which has also had to be cleared.  

Anyway, every time I work out there, I end up coughing and sneezing for days afterward.  This last Sunday, though, I seem to have gotten a particularly bad dose of whatever I stirred up, leaving me feeling drained and lethargic this week.  Judging by the silent treatment I was getting from the neighbours last Sunday, I don't think they approve of my chemical garden clearance methods.  As they don't seem to approve of my 're-wilding' of my garden, (or as they might call it - 'neglect'), I'm not sure what else they think I'm going to do.  Besides, if anyone should be aggrieved, it's me - quite apart from the rubbish dumped in my garden, on Saturday I had to put up with someone a few doors down firing up their barbecue.  It smelt like there was an elephant farting over the fence.  I had to retreat indoors and shut the doors and windows it smelt so foul.  The bottom line, though, is that I simply don't care what any of them think.  Something they don't seem to grasp.  I'm clearing the garden, not because of their disapproval, but because I've got fed up of having to do these periodic slash and burn campaigns.  My intention is to pave and gravel everything, to make it all low maintenance.  There's still a way to go yet, but it's at least not overgrown now - you can see the path again, for instance.  Hopefully, by next week I'll be feeling a bit more energetic and be able to get back out there.