I seem to be on Cloud Nine - I join a music "group" and get to read about gardening as well! So here's my contribution.

Peg - I have only just got hold of some real roses - the ones that smell heavenly. Even better, the two that I have were both quite recent gifts, one from my sister and one from my mother. Don't you know every plant in your garden that someone gave to you? Aren't they special? I've had to move plants every time we move house because I can't bear to leave one that a good friend/relative gave me for my birthday/Christmas/thank-you gift - whatever.

This year both my flower and vegetable seeds were a disaster - absolutely everything died. (My previously green fingers must have either dropped off without me noticing or turned back to the normal colour).

I have resorted to filling the veg. plot with the dregs of an old potato sack that had begun to sprout in the pantry. It should have been filled by now with parsnips and carrots, peas and beans (how I envy Gervase, with too many peas - we love them, straight off the plant and seem never to have too many - this year - nothing!)

The flower garden has had to be filled with plants from a garden centre. Well, it looks O.K. but there's not the same pleasure as having grown them all yourself. Because of that, there's very little that's special and, I regret to say, it looks horribly like I work for the Parks and Garndens, with marigolds and pelargoniums (and that ilk) all over the place. Not my best choice, but all the garden centre had in at the time.

Now, next year . . .