Lost and found and found again !

I had a good search of the garden for the aluminium strut to no avail and I was hoping it hadn't pierced someone's beloved cat or child !

So I put my mind to other things and potted up the hollyhocks, and alstroemeria, watered everything in the greenhouses, forked one of the borders and was on my way back indoors when I spied a bit of a glint off something tucked under the step from the veggie plot to the deck ! One aluminium strut ! Hoorah !!!!! So fixed the coldrame and put it's lid back on but looking out there this morning I wonder if I should have bothered. It's looking ghastly and is predicting heavy rain and 20 mph winds today.

To make matters worse, I don't think I closed the g/h vent last night. So fingers crossed it's still attached. I can see the big g/h heater from where I sit and the flames seem consistant and still there which would indicate no gale force winds blowing around inside the g/h. So let's join hands and all hope together eh ?

OH and me both had to visit the post office yesterday, arms full of ebay goodies to send off and after that we were going to B&Q to get paraffin and spray paint to stencil the bins (two weeks ago our nice new green bin was inadvertently knicked by them wot is next door and we got a crappy beaten up one with a bashed lid in it's place so when we got our new one back I thought it was time to ID the bins - sad eh ?).

Anyway, parrafin in the local store was £5.99 for 4 litres, and in B&Q £4.99. Opposite the post office was yet another hardware store (they keep jumping out at me now) so I popped in there and found it for £4.50 for 4 litres! Bargain and saved us a trip to B&Q to boot. Also got the spray acrylic paint in there too. I love local shops.

I thought I'd better get the OH insured in the jalopy as I didn't fancy driving all the way to London over Christmas, so he had his first trip behind a wheel for about 6 months and didn't kill anything or anyone. A good sign!

As today is so rubbish, I'm going to write some chrissy cards and do other indoor things that are sitting on the "must do" pile. Why does that pile never get any smaller ?? Anyone know ?

No pics of the garden taken recently unless you want to see more rain so I might treat you softie southerners to some of that later, just to remind you what it's like. :-)