This diary does not shy away from the more functional aspects of life in the garden. Readers will know that I am relentless in pursuit of the sublime but I do need to do some laundry from time to time.
 So it was a minor inconvenience when the washing line came down. It had been tied to the branch of a Sumach tree (Rhus typhina), one of three growing next to each other. Ordinarily Sumachs are a shrubby, spindly species but some previous resident was in the habit of pollarding them which fattens the bough. I continued this practice every couple of years but one of them seemed to give up the ghost lately and went from the vertical to the horizontal taking the washing line with it.
 Fortunately my flatmate Paul scavenged a length of treated timber and last weekend it was planted flagpole style, God Save the Queen. My upstairs neighbour Keith did most of the digging I'm happy to say as I had a couple of nasty blisters on my left hand from a mishap at work stripping glue with a heat gun.
 It might seem that there is not much to say about digging a hole in the ground but for the gardener it can be very illuminating. A soil profile can be made by digging a square(ish) hole straight down. Two things struck me about this particular hole which was about 18"/50cm deep.
 Firstly, the soil was bone dry all the way down- not a hint of dampness which indicates just how severe the drought has been. Secondly, the soil was loose and grainy from top to bottom which surprised me. Years ago I excavated an adjacent area for a small pond. About 12"/30cm down I got through the top soil and hit a layer of impenetrable clay. London Clay is known for its density.
 It's difficult to be too precise about soil in back gardens because there has often been a considerable amount of disturbance. None the less I put this location into the British Geological Society's "My Soil" app. The soil at this address is described as Clayey Loam to Silty Loam. 50 paces south it is Clay to Silt, 50 paces north it is Silt to Silty Loam. Perhaps this very garden marks the borders of different bands of soil?
 Anyway, we got the washing line up in time for the weather to turn wet...