Not a Bowl of Cherries

When I returned from holiday accompanied by the virus my car would not start. I phoned the AA for help. The mechanic replaced the battery. Today, feeling a lot better I popped up to the local Allotment Society to get some tomato feed. When I returned to the car it would not start. I called the AA again. The diagnosis is faulty starter motor is. Matters turned into a nightmare. The mechanic told me that if I turned off the engine the car would not start again and I must take it to a garage to be repaired. If I didn't and the car would not start again I would not be entitled to the AA Relay service, which would mean paying a proverbial arm an a leg to have it towed. (I am going to query this with the AA when the office opens tomorrow.) Well! It's Sunday. My only option was to take it to Quickfit. Their mechanic would have to confirm the diagnosis and the mechanic will not be available until Friday or later. By then the virus was kicking in. My daughter collected me and took me home. I phoned a mechanic. He said that if it is the starter motor the whole engine would have to come out in order to replace it so it might not be worth repairing the car. Oh dear, oh dear, last time my car had to be scrapped it took ages to find another one  second hand one. The loss of freedom to go out whenever I wanted to was very depressing and I can't stand the thought of going through it again.

Good Day Today

Now that I've dealt with the galley for The Captain and The Countess, I'm free to return to my new novel, Sunday's Child. Very pleased because I revised two chapters before going to the local allotment society.

The flower bed to the left of the steps leading up to my house was looking dreary so I bought some polyanthas. On the way home I popped in to my daughter's house to give my grandson a few items he needed to make some buns - he's studying food technology at school, which so far as I can understand, is an upmarket word for cooking.

My 4 year old granddaughter asked to come home with me. She was thrilled to dig the holes for the polyanthas and spent ages admiring them after we planted them. We then cooked together because she, her mother and brothers were coming to dinner this evening. After dinner she played snap with her mother, the boys played ludo and, after I loaded the dishwasher, we played jenko. Great fun.

Now, although it's only 7.30 p.m. I'm tucked up in my comfortable bed writing this blog while Country File is on T.V.

Just seen the Countess of Dudley's sunken marble bath - luxury hot water and a coal fire warming the bathroom.

Allotment Society and Gardening

Yesterday, I visited the shop at the local allotments. The allotment holders who run it know the local conditions and always give good advice.  Although I have chitted my first early potatoes I was advised that it is still too cold to plant them out, something I had suspected. If the sprouts grow much more I shall plant them in pots and ease them into the ground later on.

In need of something cheerful, I bought a pot of Little Red Riding Hood tulips. I really like their dark green and white striped leaves and pillar box-red flowers. I've put the pot in a ceramic container on the front doorstep to welcome visitors when the tulips flower.

I also bought second early potatoes to chit, and a desert gooseberry bush which should produce large red and yellow striped berries. I dream of having home grown fruit, soft and stone all year round - in the winter I rely on bottled and frozen fruit. Last year it was so wet that my strawberries rotted, this year it's been so cold and wet with icywinds that farmers are badly affected. This means the prices of vegetables will go up.  Deep sigh.

Today, unless it's really too cold I shall make a start on clearing out the greenhouse, and setting my second early potatoes to chit. While doing so I shall think of gardeners in the past, particularly in mediaeval times when the sequel to my novel set in Edward IInd's reign will be set.