PLUM STUFFED

So let me start with Victoria plums - we are stuffed with them - every pudding it seems is plums, I bagged 7 lots of 1lb for the freezer, gave some to a friend and still there are plums. The tree is young so we will need a market stall to get rid of them in the future.

There are lessons to be learned, though. In June I must thin them more - it is so difficult to pull off young fruit and chuck them on the compost heap but, where I have not thinned enough the fruit are noticeably smaller.

Having plumbed depths what else have we been up to - mowing and some mowing of rougher grass on higher setting as around the white birches.

I went down and cleared out some of the stream near the Wendy House which was an opportunity

to gather candelabra primula seed and sow whilst still fresh.

This was a very messy job and I got thoroughly wet and muddy carting large trugs full of weeds and watercress to the compost heap by the willows.

Afterwards I had to strip

in the utility room and dump my gardening clothes in the sink. Next time there will be tickets for sale (but no sensible takers!)

Rather than upset readers with images of myself here are my clothes in the sink.

R often complains, with some justification, that I go gardening in better clothes because I am too lazy to change to old ones.

This is often true. I am not very fashion conscious - if clothes fit, more or less, and keep me warm, and hide what they contain, that is sufficient for me.

Then I can spend the money on some footle or another.