nepia

It's a soulangeana or similar which should stop at about 6-7m tall. As said cutting it back will result in ugly 'lollipop' growth but you can minimise that by cutting back to a strong sideshoot, i.e. small branch. Now is a good time to do it unless the tree is drought stressed due to the weather of the last few months in which case either water it a lot or wait until there's been good sustained rain. For the future regular light pruning is the way to go; that will generate much less ugly reaction. Keep it small, don't make it small.

I agree! Even better if new build garages could accommodate something bigger than a Smartcar!

All of them according to the construction lobby!

Even down here in the south east developers are building and then unable to sell. So where's this 'massive demand for housing'? Oh - it couldn't be anything to do with the construction industry having waaaaay too much sway over government could it? £££££££.........

...whilst being abstemious in his habits!

They do look very dark but Peacock?

But it's not a crime to sit down over a cup of tea and offer friendly advice 😋 Unless there's arsenic in the tea

Cotoneaster

In the event that anyone actually likes the fitted ear muffs I have a brand new pair of blue and yellow ones taken from an out-of-the-box new helmet. PM if interested and I'll send them to you Jon

They look like Thuja. At this stage I'd say leave everything alone, see what starts to sprout and take things from there. Thuja is more resistant to pruning than the cypresses but still has its limits; new growth will give you a guide as to what's going to be possible

Highly likely Mick but that doesn't mean short-term or that Charlie hasn't got many years ahead of him with a decent quality of life

Picked up some 8-9"dia rounds of dry rotting ash yesterday (firewood that's too many years old); will drill many holes in them and put them around the place. They won't last long but perhaps a couple of years with a roof of offcut WRC board.

Well that's a bit inspiring - thanks. I'm on the case now as, like Spud, I thought the things were for £££s in Surrey garden centres. I have offcuts, I have roof tiles and I think I know where to get some old garden canes. And we have many small insects with this stunning weather 👍 Does it matter much about the siting? Sun or shade? Perhaps the site merely affects the species using them...?

Ah sleep - that ever impossible dream! I have lived on 4-5 hours of it most of my life unfortunately. But recently much better (that won't last) and I slept till just after 8 this morning after a midnight start; 7 full hours of it. I feel ready to take on the world!!! Well done Stevie - keep up the good sleep; we all need more than we get.