Nothing much happening… and all the better for it.

It’s school half ter,m and there's a very brisk and cold wind, so we went for a street walk once we’d taken the green recycling bin round to the front, where it’s collected from. (Don’t ask me why. It just is.) . My daffodils and crocuses are coming out at last and the little bursts of colour are amazing. The last of the broken and brittle pots went with the dustmen this morning, bless them, because that saved us a dump trip and cleaning the inside of the car, and the brisk wind has dried the patio and paths so I’ve swept up the last of the mud and it’s just a memory of a stage in the garden not being finished because it never will be. This stage is done, and the next batch of big pots are 1 day away from reaching the EU, and then they’ll fly over to the UK. The thing about buying big things from Temu is that you learn so much geography!

My indoor projects are coming on nicely and I’ve got a sealed up box of hair accessories that have memories but aren’t right for who I am now. I’m told they’re vintage and sought after, so I’ve done a deal with a young friend. They’re hers if I don’t open the box by Christmas. She sees them and the jewellery as vintage treasure. Gosh, that makes me feel old! In their place is, I hope, elegance and practicality and moving towards becoming the woman who still has a third of her life to go with any luck. She isn’t a girl. Her body isn’t what it was but it still does most things reasonably well, and on days like these, I’m even more glad to be alive than I usually am.

I’m thoroughly enjoying writing the spring Amy for next March because I can write in the small details, I’ve just bumped someone off who thoroughly deserved it, but Amy is more upset than usual because she didn’t like her. She’s one of those people who’ll always give people another chance. So am I, up to a point, but I admire those who can forgive seventy times seven, to quote from the bible.

So, today's picture is of how the garden looks now. I’ll leave you to imagine the water burbling gently in the fountains and the blue tits winding up the cats from the top of the trees and the wind in the bare branches that’ll soon be covered in leaves and blooms as the new year gets into its stride.


And while we’re indoors more than out, here’s some books that are on special offer.

The first three are in my Oldcastle series, and oddly, the characters are featuring in the Amy I’m working on, because Swansmere and Westerham can’t be the centre of crime. As always, the inner core of the story is based on a true incident, which left me looking at those people who self-promote relentlessly in a new and more cautious way. Those stories are Toddler and the Tough Guy, Buried Trouble whose hero is being heroic again for me at the moment, and Where There’s a Will, whose characters are also popping up.

Then, under the name of Eleanor Neville because they’re a little darker, there are three Shadows stories. I can’t say which is my favourite, but it does make me think it’d be nice to revisit those characters too, especially since the next book I’m planning is a new ‘Shadows’ starring Luke’s brother Mark. They’re Accidental Hero, Strange Harvest and Kisschase.

So see you again on Sunday where, if my favourite one of the 3 forecasts I look at is right then it might be 11 or 12c and sunny with the gentlest possible breeze. I’m not relying on it, but it would be so lovely that I’m hoping we all have good weather.