Resting

I was expecting a card through the post, who doesn't love it when the letter box clatters with a delivery, this card is so me, garden and birds, both loves of mine. For years I made my own cards, it takes care and thought to make something so beautiful, thank you Angie, I'm glad you loved the socks, thank you for the stamps, they always come in handy.

I love this author, this is set in the future in a changed world, AI is in homes where marriage is monitored, the government want happy families. We follow 5 different people, how they live their lives, living on both sides of the official line, can AI judge people, understand them, very tongue in cheek, I enjoyed it, very different read. Book 10 read this year.

 Last year's amaryllis bulb, I hope this will produce buds, last year I ensured the leaves were left to die back, I popped the bulb in my greenhouse, hoping it got enough sunlight. I started to water it again in December, now all I can do is wait.

My bulbs are still looking good, plenty of blooms, the second amaryllis bud is starting to open, keeping this spot looking good for a while longer. 

I have picked up a bug, not feeling great, I was due to pop to daughters on Saturday so she could take George to a party, but he has a bad cold again, so she kept him at home. The rain once again has kept me inside, the whole of the weekend was reading and watching the birds at our feeders, the foxes are back in next doors garden, no signs of them coming into ours, no signs of any rats either, hopefully Lilly is helping us out. I did listen to the tennis, Alcaraz and Djokovic Australian final on Sunday morning, Carlos winning in 4 sets, which pleased me, I have often said I do not like the arrogance of Djokovic, he is a great player, but I'm still not sure he is the best, give it a few years and his records alongside Nadal and Federer will fall to Alcaraz and Sinner, who both achieving so much at a younger age. 

I have been thinking about my flower beds, mainly I have to wait to see what returns, I did go through all my garden post since our refit to note what I had purchased, working out what grows in our soil. I already know big daisies, dahlias and lupins never return, my hope is not to purchase so many plants this year and ensure any I get will thrive and return in following years. I was surprised in December to see how much I had spent on plants, seeds and bulbs for my flower beds, about £500, I spent the same amount on fixtures and pretty bits, hopefully I won't spend so much this year. These days I am not swayed so much by a pretty flower, I like to check if it's suitable for my soil and climate.