I was thinking about Mr Miagy. As I raked leaves I remembered his words to Daniel "wax on wax off." The Karate Kid was essential viewing in those halcyon days of the 80s when our boys were young. Watching it with the children was a great excuse for those of us who were 30 something. There is that part in the film where Daniel gets to wax the car and paint the fence, until he flipped and quit. Finally, the truth was revealed by the master. The strokes of the paint brush and the circular movements of polishing were the precise movements for karate. So what about my leaf raking? I should have been on my next long walk, but the thousands of leaves on the lawn had to be dealt with and this kept me at home. "Walk on, walk on," could I hear the rake on the leaves saying that? Perhaps not. Then the master revealed a truth, or at least the decorater told me of some advice on the radio that very morning. "You don't need to rake, no, put the lawn mower over them, make mulch and let the worms do the rest!" It came like a moment of enlightenment, not to mention relief!

Our garden is about an acre; an acre covered in leaves! It's a size of garden dating from the days when vicars were something and had a gardener! Pushing the mower over the acre, guiding it across the thick layers of fallen leaves, putting one foot in front of the other, I didn't need Mr Miyage to make the point!