I don't recall mentioning yesterday's very successful #allotment trip. I've put our first early potatoes in - Charlotte again, they're reliable and have a good taste. The first peas & carrots are in the ground. I've sown more broad beans and parsnips. The last of the onion sets are in at long last. A couple of dahlia bulbs have gone in - I'm not hopeful as they were very cheap. Sacha has finished weeding the new strawberries,and is now looking at one of her flower beds. The committee have turned the water on to the water troughs, so I can now water the seeds that have been in for a while (my water butt is very empty). It was a glorious day to be outside here in the English East Midlands - and lots of other plot holders seemed to agree - I don't think I've seen so many people on the site in a very long time.

Good morning. I've woken up far too early. Today looks like it'll be dry and cool here in the English East Midlands, so I'm intending to go to the Petanque club in Leicester's Western Park - it seems ages since I've thrown my balls around! Sacha has been making greetings cards with her pressed flowers - and I expect that's going to occupy her some more. Tomorrow will be a bit odd because although we are going to make an allotment trip, Kasa is coming to visit and has promised to cook our Sunday meal. The allotment trip needs to be coordinated with her arrival. In other news, I've got a really irritating skin tag developing on my neck. One of the joys of ageing! Well, have a wonderful weekend wherever you are. #allotment #petanque #crafting #Today #leicester #weekend

I've just noticed my next door neighbour has a huge pile of old storage heater bricks in her front garden from the builders who were in last week. I'm collecting as many as I can to go to the #allotment to use as paths or bed edging. But , goodness me, those things are heavy! And I'm still coughing from this retched virus we've both had - I hope the waste man doesn't come too soon because it's going to take a couple more days to shift them. Then they've got to be moved at the allotment end as well!

Allotment visit done. Brought home the last leeks & beetroot. There's nothing in the ground now apart from the fruit. I managed to move one gooseberry bush which has been a job that I've been putting off. The plot next to mine is coming vacant shortly as my neighbour has got a job in the North-East (partly due to the cost of housing). He's offered me anything I want off his plot - he's got some splendid strawberry plants but not much else apart from a few bricks. #allotment

I think this week - with the bathroom fitters having the outside doors open a lot - has been a financial experiment in having the central heating on as usual against trying to keepour living room warmish with the fan heater in the fireplace and the central heating off most of the day. If I'd been prepared I'd have been a bit more scientific about it. Based on the three full days of this week our gas usage has barely changed, but we are using about £1 a day more in electricity - which is surprising to me (gas in particular).

For no good reason I was thinking about our daughter's long stay in the psychiatric hospital. There were a lot of patients on the ward (possibly about 2/3) who never got any visitors. Where were their families, spouses, parents, children? Not to mention freinds? The ward staff were delighted that our daughter had visits and support from her parents, brother, neices and work-collegues - she was certainly the exception among the patients. I like to think that our support helped in her recovery, I definitely think it made her stay there more bearable. If you know of someone receiving long term hospital care - psychiatric or otherwise - please don't abandon them. Make an effort. It won't always be easy, but doing good isn't always the easy road. #MentalHealth #hospitals #Carers