27th February 2011 Busy at my allotments, I have so far managed to transplant what remained of my sorry-looking autumn-sown broad beans from four rows into one. A harsh December had reduced them to a bedraggled handful, and even they looked like they were clinging to life out of spite. I painted the garden shed… Continue Reading

14th February 2011 Valentine’s Day began with an unexpected twist. That evening, Lee appeared unannounced, bearing a giant card for Sarah before dashing back to Nottinghamshire after a brief visit. Earlier, I had enjoyed my first coffee of the day and was greeted with a card from Sue. Embarrassingly, I had nothing to exchange; several… Continue Reading

6th February 2011 As I wrapped up my last blog entry, Jamie and Sarah were both laid low by a particularly vicious sickness bug. That evening, when I rang the Rothwells for a natter, I found they too had fallen victim. Sue and I fully expected it to become a whole-family experience, but as the… Continue Reading