How can you keep a garden continuing to look lovely - whether railway or otherwise? The answer is ..... lots of hard work, much of it humdrum.

Here’s Ray working mid-summer on one of the Tenterden raised beds doing just that - tending an area that has become infested with weeds so visitors can enjoy the view once more.

At Tenterden too, but this time near the main entrance, Veronica is working away at one of the more public displays .....

And in this corner too, near the Pullman dock.

A spot of spraying is required on the area round the offices and under the trees.

Now a change of scene - Northiam platform , once an asphalt desert but now, like Northiam sporting a nicely maturing privet hedge the length of the platform giving it a more authentic rural air.

Summer drought and the hose-pipe ban turned large areas like the Northiam lawn, brown and dry.

However, once the rains returned lush new growth and very vigorous weeds once more sprung up .....

..... back to regular mowing and weeding once more, to keep the place looking cared for.

Humph and Ray join in the work - cutting and sweeping and weeding.

Richard enjoys his handiwork part-way through trimming the hedge. Anyone for a cuppa?

The surge in growth after the rains , is very apparent. Keep clipping Richard. There’s plenty more!

Nick joins in too by clearing up barrow loads of leaves.

Whilst Ray gets out his broom.

Some areas require more vigorous action, Here the strimmer is set to work to trim the difficult grass areas, prior to mowing.

Now to strim the long grass walk from platform 2 at Northiam to the road.

Now Nick gets stuck into the bank behind number 2 platform. There’s plenty more Nick!

After a good refreshing drink - (orange squash for the operator and 2-stroke for the machine), the long cypress hedge is cleared of weeds.

A bigger project is shifting a pile of top soil dumped in the yard from another railway project. They are moved to places around the railway where soil is needed.

Diggers and barrowers, get stuck in!

Some of the soil needs to cross the line to be dumped at the far end of the railway.

With no signalman to unlock the foot passenger gates, a detour is necessary!

A sign of Autumn coming: the flower boxes are emptied and unscrewed ready for the next season.

Another year’s work is almost over and time to think about the next. (“How do we get this lot over the cattle grids, Ian?)