I'm thinking about hiring someone to come in once or twice a month to
help me keep on top of it and was just wondering if anyone here has
done the same?

Back in Nottingham when I was too busy working (I had two full time jobs) we
simply put an advert in the local newsagent window. The man we took on was a
local general labourer / handyman and did a reasonable job of simple
gardening tasks. He was also a lot cheaper than paying a professional
commercial rates, plus he lived local to us so no travel expenses etc. Best
to get a reference from them though and follow it up - just in case you are
inviting the local crook around! From then on we often noticed him working
on other nearby properties too, pointing walls, trimming hedges etc. Worked
out very well for us.
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/