I’m almost hyperventilating with excitement/anticipation/worry and specific and non-specific anxiety. There are some very positive things happening right now and I’m most concerned about how to keep things moving along as I get older and more creaky.

Number one on the list by far and away the most significant for me is that Clive Nichols did come back to take photos. Yesterday the weather was perfect, there was little or no wind and the early morning and late evening sun made many of the plants shimmer in the light. It was fascinating to watch a professional photographer work. He moved around quickly, he really noticed detail in a way I never can, he was, dare I say it, seemingly captivated by what he was doing and what he was seeing. Having this kind of enthusiastic endorsement is so rare for me and to get it from a person who will have seen many great gardens makes it very special indeed. He will send the photos to various glossy magazines which could give us some long wished for recognition in the horticultural world. If, and it’s a big if, that should happen I will then need to learn how to cope with being busier at a time of life when I ought (says who?) be slowing down or even retiring. Clive was keen to get photos of asters and grasses, he loved the form of Rosa Sally Holmes and he was smitten with Geranium Ann Thomas. It’s incredible that there are any flowers to see because it it so very dry again, I think I will need to drag the hoses into the garden again.

Decisions are being made right now about what to do about the ‘garlic’ beds. The two beds with Ben’s annual flowers in have been much admired and have also been easy to maintain. Whereas the beans (planted after the garlic) have needed a lot of weeding and then the picking which takes quite a lot of time. So, my plan is to reduce the amount of garlic I grow for next year. Sow annuals to go into half the beds, then when the garlic in the other beds is lifted to plant more annuals after them. This should mean there will be flowers for cutting and it will look fantastic and it attracts a lot of bees. Now I need to decide which flowers to grow. I will choose ones which last well in water as cut flowers such as zinnias, malope and larkspur. There will also be lots of sweet williams which are so good earlier in the year.

Update on rabbits….they seem to have myxomatosis now, horrible disease but at least it will be one less thing for me to angst about.

Now, if I could only stop waking up at 4.30am with so much on my mind then I might be a bit more efficient through the day.