I was shattered on Tuesday and even more shattered by yesterday evening. I devoted four hours to 'writerly' matters and went out at 11 a.m. I bought tickets for Cinderella for next Tuesday when I and three granddaughters will see it. The tickets bought, I went to the Garden Centre where I bought, 2nd early seed potatoes, red geraniums for the window boxes and red lily bulbs. They will be 2ft high and look good at the back of the border beneath my sitting room window. I also b...ought golden rod that will make a splash of colour next to the Michaelmas daisies in the autumn.

The pot in which I had planted a bay tree broke so I chose a heavy clay pot that I hope the wind won't blow over and planted the bay tree in it. What else? Oh yes, some succulents two green ones and a dark red one which are now on the kitchen window sill. I like the rosettes the leaves form. After unch out I went to the library to collect books I had reserved.




My daughter had an early appointment in London this morning, so I stayed at her house for the night. I gave the children their dinner, heard my 5 year-old granddaughter's reading, put her to bed and read a story about Aladdin, a princess, a genie, a villain and a baby camel to her. Then I played draughts with my 10 year old grandson until it was time for him to go to bed. Afterward, while waiting for the 13 year-old to go to bed I got on with some more 'writerly' matters. When he went to bed I read for a while before going to sleep.




This morning was busy after we all had porridge for breakfast and the children went to school. I worked on writing projects, then sorted out my mini peach and nectarine trees. Last year there was loads of fruit on them but it dropped off before it ripened. I've re-potted them in John Innes No 3 and pollinated them with a paintbrush. The pink flowers are so promising and pretty that, fingers crossed I will enjoy the fruit this year. Any advice about their nurture would be welcome.
Made a vegetable curry for lunch and then read until I returned to the laptop.
Hopefully the weather will be good for two days and I'll be able to do much more in the garden - but I must remember to wrap up all the Easter eggs.

Child-Sitting & Cottage Style Garden

I stayed at my youngest son and daughter-in-law's house yesterday night to look after the two younger children while the eldest one went to school to discuss which subjects he will take for his GCSEs with his parents and teachers. I enjoyed playing draughts and Rummy Cub with my enthusiastic younger grandson and my granddaughter. Lots of laughter - lovely.


Today, the weather was much milder than yesterday, so my daughter-in-law and I went to a garden centre. I used some of the vouchers given to me at Christmas to start restocking the front garden which was destroyed when the house was cladded to make it warmer. I bought a red, rambling rose which I shall plant to the right of my front door. I hope it will grow up and over the what-do-you-me-call-it? that protrudes from the wall to provide shelter from the rain and down the left side of the door.


The flower bed under my dining room window is very narrow, so I'm going to intersperse hollyhocks and lupins, which I bought today, with lavender that I shall transplant from other parts of the garden. To this mix I plan to add delphiniums. I shall edge the front with green and purple lolla rose lettuces, and in the autumn plant spring bulbs. One of my opium poppies survived and, with luck some of the foxgloves, evening primroses and last year's hollyhocks might have self-seeded.


I don't live in a cottage but I want to achieve a cottage garden so I shall plant a row of lettuce at the front of the flower bed and, maybe, tuck in pots of herbs and stargazer lilies.


Goodness, at the thought of all this I feel tired.