It sometimes takes an effort of memory to realise just how much the Arlington Association volunteer gardeners have achieved in just over two years.

Five intrepid local Arlingtonians opened their gardens to the public in June as part of the National Gardens Scheme (NGS).

Our lead gardener Paul Thompson held a window box workshop in the community garden in May (right ), generously sharing his expert advice and offering us many useful tips on how best to plant and maintain a beautiful window box.

We welcome more and more visitors to the square every day but very few of them arrive accompanied by a Personal Protection Officer, an Assistant Private Secretary, the Representative Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Islington, the Master of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners, the Deputy Mayor of Islington and a bunch of press photographers.

The 2014 Islington Proms season at St James’ in Prebend Street opens on Saturday March 29 with the Cantallini chamber choir (above) performing Fauré’s Requiem and music by Bach, Tallis, Messiaen and Tchaikovsky.

You don’t usually associate Arlingtonia with heavy metal music, but at least one practitioner of the dark art recently lived among us in Linton Street.

Those grim castellated entrances from the New North Road to St Paul Street, Rydon Street, Linton Street and Arlington Avenue are no more.

After our snippet on ex-local Douglas Adams in the last Arlingtonian, the local fashionistas rushed to tell us that designer Alexander McQueen CBE (1969–2010) used to live at 9 Coleman Fields.

Our long-term project to renovate all the railings round Arlington Square has started well.

We have made great strides this summer and autumn improving the planting in Arlington Square, especially the perimeter borders.

Arlingtonians know how to have fun! Our Summer Fete was both hugely enjoyable and a huge success.

Stand by for another season of top-class musical performances at St James’ in Prebend Street as the 2013 Islington Proms get under way.

The entrances from the New North Road to St Paul Street, Rydon Street, Linton Street and Arlington Avenue are to be transformed into “Pocket Parks”.

Arlington Square now has a touch of Palm Springs and the Mediterranean Riviera with two 8-foot palm trees and a couple of tall, exotic cordylines.

We all have our favourite memories to treasure from last year’s community get-togethers.

On behalf of the Association Gordon also collected a Highly Commended from the Mayor of Islington (right) in the prestigious Lisa Pontecorvo Award.

The National Gardens Scheme has recently awarded us an Elspeth Thompson Bursary of just over £3,000.

Since the first edition of The Arlingtonian was published last April, it has been an action-packed twelve months for the Arlington Association.

Next time you pop to the Co-op on the New North Road, you might like to take a minute or two to consider the history of this part of the canal.

How many plants, shrubs, bulbs and trees do you think have been planted in Arlington Square over the last two years? A few hundred? A few thousand?