Out And About...

As it was such a lovely afternoon we went to the garden centre...it was heaving with rather up-market ladies of a certain age...when such ladies are clustered together they always make me giggle...especially when a couple of them leapt to one side when they saw me coming...felt like ringing a hand bell and shouting Unclean!!

They smiled rather sickly smiles as I pushed the trolley past and then went back into their huddle over near the Camellias...which were gorgeous, but way out of our price range.

There were masses of pansies...love their bright little faces and always have pots and troughs of them but they are always available and we don't have the pots ready yet...

So Himself bought a dozen of those little lettuces...Little Gem...to put in the tunnel and a tray of baby scallions...and I dithered for a bit before deciding on parsley and thyme which were big pots of well-established plants on offer and half a dozen of what I'd call Pinks but the label said they were Sweet Williams...

The cat wasn't about today...his bed was on the seat of one of the garden chairs indoors, but he was nowhere to be seen...

He and the old spaniel had probably hidden away from the screaming children...there were only two of them but they made enough racket for a dozen and the Mammy was totally ignoring them...

John...he's in charge of the place and lets birds in to nest where they choose...one year there was a Robin amongst the pot plants...he just put a sign up...please be minding the Robins nest...he's a very nice man altogether, but was a bit rushed today what with people asking about hedging and would this flower last all summer and then all the ladies with their neat French pleats and glasses hanging round their necks on pretty pearly strings turned up en masse, with trolleys laden down with frightfully expensive ceramic pots and packets of twee handmade clay labels for herbs...I nudged Himself so hard when I saw one of them fish a platinum card out of her purse that he almost fell over into the display of Mother-in-laws tongues...

On the way home we watched as two Swans flew overhead right in front of the car before landing on the Lough and waved at everyone out for walks with dogs and small people...even saw Mr King with his two hounds...when we first met Mr K years ago he extended his hand and said ...'I have a degree you know'...those were his actual words before I even knew his name...I was quicker off the mark than I am now and replied...'Gosh! how lovely for you'...there was a communal spluttering from all the people around...