and enjoyed amazing sunny days and some magnificent gardens and lovely countryside studded with blossom – blackthorn, myrabellum, wild cherry, crab apple, flowering cherry and even some early pear. The woods had carpets of bluebells and wild wood anemones. The anxiety all the way through was what were we missing back home? Back here the sun is still shining and my garden here is full of blossom – beautiful. We only missed the amelancia. My prunus ‘Fragrant Cloud’, despite the best efforts of wicked east winds is magnificent. It starts out white and darkens slowly to a soft pink and has a delicate scent. Despite the dry spell everything looks good thanks to helpful neighbours who watered my treasures. Before I go away I strip all the flowers from the pansies – painful and drastic – but when I get back they are all in full bloom again and need no dead heading for a while. The broad beans are shoulder height and by some miracle have evaded the blackfly but the tips must be pinched out. They are being pollinated by bumble bees. Are the honey bees out and about yet? Have they succumbed to the same mysterious disappearing act that is happening on the mainland? Meanwhile I had better get on with reducing the weed population……

Lis