30 plus degrees.

This is the sort of weather when I'm pleased to have a shade garden, there are plenty of places to be out of the sun.

The garden is bursting with colour. At the moment the stars of the show are abutilon suntense and Sambucas negrus. The abutilon has flopped all over the planting beneath it but is looking so lovely that I have left it be. I'll cut back once the flowers are over.

But the flowers that I wait for most eagerly are the roses. I brought little cuttings from our previous home and now, three years later, they are bulking up well. I stuck one or two in a very inhospitable spot beside the drive, with small hopes of success but Constance Spry is giving it her best shot.

Some of the rose names I have forgotten!

I've been going to the allotment in the cool of the evening to do some much-needed watering, watering cans only, it is tough work! On Bank Holiday Monday I couldn't resist a swim in the sea. We went early, before the crowds. It was slack tide and although the water was cold it felt wonderful to come back to a warm beach without the more usual wind that threatens to take the skin off your bones! We were home in the cool of the garden before nine, feeling rather pleased purselves!

Meet Mabel!

At the start of the school Easter holidays we looked after the Boy while his parents went off to buy him a puppy. Why have we been so long without a dog in the house! Well, they came home with the most ridiculous little bundle and it was love at first sight. A boy and his dog - inseparable!

Meet Mabel!

We are all besotted.

On the garden front everything is growing like mad and I'm having to cut back to keep the gravel paths from disappearing. The exterior of the house is awash with icicles of flower.

It is so pleasing to catch the scent of the various flowers.

But it is a bit of a jungle!

There isn't much time for sitting down.

Now that the neighbouring trees are in full leafwe are cast into a mix of deep and dappled shade.

After a very wet winter I'm already back to wishing for some rain!

Compton Acres

This afternoon the family came by and swooped us up for a visit to Comton Acres garden. It is the perfect time of year to visit, with the acid-loving spring flowers in bloom. There are formal gardens

but the areas that we most wanted to explore were the Japanese garden and the woodland, the latter on a very steep site, run through with small streams and pools.

The Japanese garden is a real treat. I was surprised how quiet the gardens were for a bank holiday weekend. The Boy loved walking across all the stepping stones and small bridges over the water.

We intended having afternoon tea in the café but had spent so long in the gardens that we were too late, it had closed!