Sunday 11th March 2018

Mother's Day (UK)

I was awoken from the rumtopf induced coma by heartburn and th deadweight lump that is Scully taking up half the width of the bed. It is ten past six, and already dawn is well under way.

I decide to go to feed the cats, hoping that I can do so quietly so not to wake Jools, but as every one of the floorboards either squeaks or makes some noise, she hears me. I make me a coffee, and soo Jools is up and about too.

Of course, what being up and about so early means is that we are ahead of schedule; football watched by eight, breakfast done by nine, checked in for my flight by half nne and working in the garden at ten, steamcleaning the patio as the boys failed to tell us we needed to have sealed the slabs Still, gives us the chance to use power tools.

It soon is looking like new, a two hour job, but now it really looks spanking.

We both decide that we liked plants we saw in Densole the day before, so we drove out there again, along the A2 then doubling back through Denton.

I buy for pots of Snake's Heads at a fiver a pop, Jools gets a golden Hellebore that really is stunning.

So here we are, fifty somethings frequenting garden centres on a Sunday morning. Trainspotting.

Or choose this:

Anyway. Back home to put the flowers in the garden before the rain came. Only it didn't come. Sun came out later, warm enough to sit in the back garden and look at the fruits of our labours.

That was after eating sausage sandwiches with not red, not brown but no sauce at all as the sausages were flavoured with wild garlic. Yummy.

I call Mum because it Mother's Day and it is expected. She is fine. She says. I am also fine. I say.

Football on the radio, which I switch off as, well, its boring. I write, make dinner, drink wine.

The day has gone. The weekend has gone. And two weeks at home has gone too. Off to sunny Denmark in the morning for an eight hour training course that will cost my employer the thick end of two grand. Hope its worth it.

I have come accustomed to checking the garden every day. Twice a day. Several times a day for new growth, but will make up for it on Wednesday when I come home.