More brinkmanship

We have a bed planted with shrubs which slopes quite steeply down from the back fence to the lawn behind the patio, and in the past soil often used to slip down from it onto the grass. One day I had the idea to plant a little box hedge around the edge of the flower bed to create a root system which would stabilise the earth and prevent it from slipping down. It works really well, and has kept the lawn looking a lot neater. Our box hedging was trimmed a few weeks ago, and it is all looking pretty brown now. It usually picks up quite quickly after a haircut but this year’s drought hasn’t helped of course and it’s taking much longer to green up. These cyclamen plants have appeared at intervals around the roots of the box hedge, which I think look quite pretty.

I am just prevaricating by telling you all that, and it's because I’m feeling embarrassed to have to say that I’ve spent the entire day making just one birthday card! It’s for our middle son, whose birthday is tomorrow. The card features a t-shirt template I bought, which I personalised with my son's age and a special message.

He was born on our fifth wedding anniversary, so we lost out on our booked celebratory meal that night because his arrival was five weeks early and thus most unexpected!  So tomorrow is a double celebration for us but, owing to the inordinate amount of time it has taken me to make that one card, there will not be an anniversary card for my long-suffering husband to open tomorrow. 

I sometimes make us a joint anniversary card that we we both sign, as a little joke, so that we have something to keep for posterity, but not this year I'm afraid. I was thus very glad when Smithers relieved me of the burden and assured me he was still basking in the glory of his recent birthday card on 14th August. As the card rightly stated, "the man’s a blippin’ legend"!