Preparing for Spring?!

This is the nearest corner of The Red House to our house. There used to be a trellis here with a large blackcurrant bush growing up and through it, forming a "wall" between the veranda (on which I'm standing) and the driveway. The blackcurrant bush has now gone, together with the spiraea that grew up through it, and assorted other flowers, weeds and grass.
After winter we'll be replacing the boards on this gable end of the house, and the veranda, which we'll also enlarge, and to do those jobs these plants had to go.
I still seem to have have this mild bug but boredom drove me to do this light job of clipping down the bushes. Unfortunately once I'd clipped them I thought I'd "just" dig up the roots.  This is how a "quick" job turns into a 4 hour struggle.
Still, I guess the bug must be in retreat if it lets me do all this work.