For a long time, looking after our communal garden was a one person job, despite being a shared responsibility among six people. I did what I could to keep things tidy, like pulling up weeds, sweeping dead leaves up, pruning plants, and giving the plants and shrubs a drink. Since there is no outdoor tap, I have to rely on a water butt, which means every drop counts.
Things changed a few months ago when one of my neighbours split up with his partner. Looking for something to keep himself busy, he decided to pitch in. Every cloud has a silver lining, as his extra hands have made a huge difference. He got straight to work cutting back the overgrown shrubs, and now you can actually see the brick wall behind it all. The leylandii trees and overgrown greenery along the boundary wall had grown so thick and wild over time that they were blocking everything out, but trimming them back has made the whole space feel much lighter and more open.
Now that all the untamed growth is out of the way, we can actually see proper ground level under the shrubs for the first time in ages. Having that clear view means we can finally start sorting through the area and clearing away all the old broken pots that were hidden underneath.
The main challenge now is managing all the garden waste. Our green bin only gets collected once a fortnight, which fills up fast. Someone mentioned I could put small amounts in with the general waste, so I have been doing that to keep on top of the pile.
There is one little habit I have had to work around, though. For some reason, my neighbour keeps leaving piles of loose soil sitting on the ground rather than spreading it back around the boundary near the shrubs. I do not want to say anything to him because he has done such a great job and I don't want to discourage him! 
Instead, I just quietly sweep it up and spread the soil myself.
The dry spell during the summer made things tricky for the plants. The water butt ran completely dry, so I had to carry water down from my upstairs flat to keep things alive. The fir trees look dead at first glance, but some green is finally starting to push through now.
There's not a lot of colour about apart from bright orange berries on the pyracantha bushes.
Another neighbour has picked up some artificial grass that will be going down in one of the corners soon. I think he's planning to put some garden furniture out next summer.
As I was just packing up, I spotted a red admiral butterfly resting on one of the leaves in the garden. You can tell it is either getting quite old or has been through a bit of a rough time, as its wings are badly torn and worn around the edges. Until next time ...
