A DARLINGTON woman received a welcome surprise when she returned from holiday recently.
Julie Baker, of Deepdale Way, Red Hall, found her previously overgrown front garden neat and tidy with a fountain and solar lights.
The transformation was the work of her daughter, Sam Bowman, 18, and Sam's boyfriend, Ian Donnelly.
Mrs Baker said: "It was 2am and I'd just got back from two weeks in Fuerteventura. I just wanted to go to bed, but I noticed the house was tidy.
"I opened the front door to look at the garden, and even though it was dark, it was amazing. Before, we went for the 'natural look' - it was full of weeds.
"They said they were going to spend 20 minutes on tidying it up. It ended up taking them five days.
"It was a really lovely surprise - I knew nothing about it. I would have been happy if they had left some milk in the fridge.
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