As soon as the sun shines there I am scrubbing the patio.

And after the clean up it's in the motor to the Potash Garden Centre to stock up on flowers-a-plenty.

And by jiggery jingo have we stocked...

We love the Potash because it's wide and welcoming and bulging with Begonias, Photinia Red Robins and many many more delightful flowers.

And I bought them all. Well not ALL but I've loaded a couple of trollies and spent many of our English pounds.

And all because of an improvement in the weather.

So, after stocking up on all kinds of flowers, I needed to add some quirky bits...

A silver coloured resin hare looking skywards, howling probably.

A green shabby chic three tiered plant holder.

A 30cm high robin infested bird feeder in the shape of an old log.

Big pots.

A ruby coloured dangling wind chime with touches of the East. Nam yehorengekeyo. I do need to unwind sometimes.

Like maybe now for example.

My step-son Mark aka Markie Boy aka Manager aka Top Manager has wrapped his right arm around my stooping shoulders whilst we listen to ENGLAND V. SWITZERLAND. We are already 1 down.

But being eternal optimists we KNOW Southgates boys will and MUST prevail.

Let me rattle off a few lines about my 21 year old shadow...

He is getting a new pair of hips in May.

He has waited eight months and it has been the most excruitiating wait. His dad, my partner, Rob has been like the dog with the bone. And a more ferocious pooch you won't find.

Once he'd sunk his teeth into the NHS he wouldnt, couldn't let go until someone somewhere helped his son to walk again.

Mark collapsed dramatically one day in the kitchen, his hips crumbling due to the after effects of radiotherapy.

After many long hospital visits, heated phone calls, emotional meetings and in a case of desperation last resorts and all that trawling the interweb checking out prices of going private we finally got a result...

The amazing docs at UCLH agreed to proceed with a double hip replacement. Thank you Mr Rajput.

It's been interesting. Devastatingly exhausting trips to London, numerous meetings with anaesthetists, surgeons, orthopaedic fellows and Wednesday's trip to London was particularly tiring on account of a major get together with all the teams involved with Mark's operation and after care.

Mark's Down Syndrome took centre stage during all appointments. Getting Mark's situation across to people is, to say the least, mentally  and physically tiring. Some people just don't get it.

But we did it. We got there. And in a couple of months, Rob, Mark and I will trot up to London to spend a couple of weeks in the caring arms of the guys at UCLH.

England have equalized.

 Back to the garden. Please.

The patio is crammed in a most delicious way with...Lillies, lavendar, miniature roses, pansies, a Forsythia and lots and lots of flowers whose names have left me. Sorry.

It's funny how a little blast of sunshine, a few bob spent on simple blooms and some good news on the family front has lifted my spirits to an almost drug like high.  

I must sign off now because Mark is nudging me kitchenwards and a big Indian takeaway has just arrived.

Feels good blogging again x