It's been a l o n g time.

Time flies like an arrow, Fruit flies like bananas.
It really doesn't seem that long.
Remember this?
It's kinda like "the Widow's cruse" in reverse, in that it never seems to fill.
When we moved in - back in 1987 both back & front gardens were adorned with wall-to-wall grass. The only relief to the flat, green, plane was a ruddy great heap in one corner of the back garden. Turned out it was, apparently, about 25yrs of grass mowings &/or Doggy do-dos. It was eventually incorporated into the garden. My only regret is that with it went the rather fine crop of "Wood Bluets" which tasted rather fine.
Anyway the Dalek was relocated within days of that Blip, since when I have added nothing but grass, by way of experiment. What is now being quarried from the bottom bears a passing resemblance to soil, as did the original heap, though it's not quite as complete as the heap, after only about 1/2 as many years.
The canes, incidentally, are volunteer rasps which appeared in lieu of the 'normous Leylandii Hedge which vanished in due course.

Upstream.