Amour

I'm in love! Head over heels! I know, at my age I really should know better, but when these things strike they leave no room for demur. It's my garden of course, which probably means it's unrequited love. But I don't care. It's an all consuming passion and it gives me enormous pleasure, though it won't come to the cinema with me. Every morning I get up and dress in the same clothes, which at the moment are thick green corduroys, check flannel shirt and weighty striped wool sweater. I have my breakfast, check my emails, read the Times online, don my wellies and get outside as soon as my teeth are cleaned. It's bliss, truly it is. Today I bashed the earth off around thirty thick sods which Nick dug up, and tossed them into a long pile which will eventually be covered with a weed supressant to be turned into lovely compost. When my neck, back and arms started to really ache I stopped and planted a few lavenders along the side of my new path. Then I had lunch - home-made leek and potato soup - and took myself off to my favourite garden centre, the Walled Garden in Bedhampton. Oh, it's all go but what joy it brings. I bought some marginals to go around the pond, and some beautiful shrubs - euonymus elatus for one, and exochorda, beautiful things that will bring gorgeous colour to the garden. I came home with my haul, and mowed the lawn. Reducing the area has dramatically shortened the time it takes now, though I'm aware that my fitness and stamina levels are much increased. It all looked a picture when I finally came in and got into the bath.

The new path

Pond, finally cleared of weeds and grass for the umpteenth time

My beloved escholzia, hiding their heads for the night

But what else? Being with Nick has made me start to look up at the sky more, and there above me as every day this week was a large flock of redshank, their curleew-like cries an anomoly 10 miles from the sea. Why have they been wheeling about for so long, this far from the ocean? Are they trying to deide if it's time to migrate? Before I came home I stopped off at Waitrose for a few things, and treated myself to a pair of chocolate eclairs, the fresh cream filled variety. Very sensible. Very healthy. I got into the car, took one out of the packet and started to eat it. I was very naughty. Facing me was a Range Rover type of vehicle with a man in the driving seat, no doubt waiting for his wife. I put the eclair in my mouth, took a slow, gentle bite, and allowed an expression of ecstasy to pass across my face. And so I proceeded to the end, exactly as I would have done if I were alone but aware of his goggle-eyed face watching my every move. As I drove off, finally sated, he smiled broadly and nodded his head. It really was all about the food for me, whatever he thought. It's the garden I'm in love with.