Buds

A day of chilly temperatures, alternating between dark skies/showers and sudden splashes of sunshine. I went for a morning walk with Patricia, and her lovely lurcher Hetty. Then Val - another old friend - and I went to visit our friend Cathy, who's just had her second hip replacement done. Cathy was too tired for more than a few minutes' chat: she was sitting just inside, we chatted from outside the doorway.  After that Val and I went for a brisk walk up the Mayfield Valley, admiring swathes of wood anemones and bluebells under the trees.  Both of us have partners who like to walk more slowly than we do, so our weekly walk is a chance to get moving properly.

Between showers, at the end of the afternoon, I went out into the garden to soak up the simple pleasure of looking at everything that's now coming into leaf and/or blossom. The fig is spreading its bright green leaves, with a few tiny fruit setting as well.  The quince blossom is showing its beautiful, soft colour. And the recently-planted greengage - the one I thought was dead on arrival from the nursery - is showing green tips too.

All of this is a good antidote to the mix of tragedy and farce that is  in the news at the moment, both national and international.