Dorothy, you have such adventures of an artistic sort! That household sounds like a wonderful discovery. Freda, we forget it's summer there and you probably had a wonderful warm stroll. We're into cold weather finally, and dry, so my sinuses are protesting. I need to get more humidity into the house.

This morning as I waited for the kettle to boil I decided to take a few minutes and trim freeze damage in the garden. All of the summer crops are gone, and once pruned down to soil level the winter garden is revealed - beautiful blue-green broccoli and cabbage, along with various hardy herbs and my bay tree that is finally growing. Asparagus doesn't seem inclined to die back yet (it's closest to the house and the heat pump, which probably generates some heat outside also). It's lovely out there - I'll take time at lunch to haul the cuttings back to the compost and reveal the tidy garden area to those walking by in the street. A good vegetable garden isn't just produce, it is also very pretty!

SRS