This morning's walk was a little different. It followed a telephone call from the leader of the village council saying that a public area of the village that we had recently planted up had been vandalized. The previous administration had planted this area, a long, thin, raised strip of land, with a double row of standard roses. These required constant watering and only flowered intermittently for a brief period, the remainder of the time looking decidedly tatty. The new council asked us to submit a plan to improve the site. I suggested a row of Pittosporum tobira at the back, these could be kept trimmed and would provide scent when in flower. Teucrium fruticans were placed at intervals in front of this with prostrate rosemary as ground cover and to soften the retaining wall by trailing over. This was accepted and carried out. The plants were establishing nicely until this morning it was discovered that overnight someone had pulled them all out and thrown them into the road below. We have just returned from attempting to rescue as many as possible and repair some of the damage. Thankfully we are off soon to spend a week in the company of plant-loving colleagues and friends and, hopefully, restore our faith in humanity.