Today is a classic example of a British April day.  This morning started sunny.  Ian was going to Manchester to prepare elder son's Garden for turfing.  We had been intending to go and work together but the forecast was for rain and showers and I was pretty sure that my improving cold did not need a morning digging in the rain.  So I stayed home and, contrary as an April day, the sun kept shining.  I decided to walk down to the river as part of trying to reclaim my pre-winter fitness.  It is easy to go down but a long old slog up and if I want to continue to climb hills I have to continue to climb hills.

Over the garden gate the wind is blowing the sun and clouds about and the birds are singing.


I walk down quickly, listening to birdsong, noticing the wood anenomes starring the sides of the path.  At the bottom of the hill the highland cattle are out, drowsing in the sun.


By the side of the river, still fast and full, the kingcups are shining.  Their yellow could almost be too much except that in spring yellow is the right colour, the colour of sun and new life.  I walk back up without stopping, a bit warm and a bit out of breath but that is good.

Then I decide to go to the garden centre to buy some more long lasting wallflowers for the lead planters.  I often use Erysimum Bowles mauve and they seem to love container life.  They flower and flower and need very little attention.  Our local garden centre has had a bit of a makeover.  Some of that has had good results in that the small cafe is now a large and very good cafe and the range of plants has increased.  The downside seems to be that the price of plants has shot up.  I had wondered about buying yet more foxgloves.  I love the white ones.  I just couldn't bring myself to pay the price they were asking for them so I came home with my new wallflowers but without the foxgloves.  A few years ago I would have grown all these from seed but I seem to have abandoned growing from seed as part of having to turn my back on the garden (see blog from day 11 of the project as to why!).  Maybe I need to think about that and decide whether it is worth the price of buying plants rather than seed in order to have the right number and to be able to cope with our not being here all the time.  Seeds need attention and with all our children and new grandchildren spread around the country I don't want to feel that I can't spend time with them all because my seeds need me!


But here are the wallflowers, apricot orange for a change, waiting to go in the planter.

April in Wales is a changeable month.  The sunshine of this morning has been blown away and rain is lashing against the windows.  No wonder it is all so very green.  If it dries up for long enough I shall go and put the new plants in.  In the meantime I shall give some time to my Welsh homework.  How did I ever find time to go out to work?  It seems like another life.