9.4.'00  As I sat eating my lunch in the garden next to the pond, I watched the tadpoles that had emerged last week and listened to a thrush singing. I realised sound is as important to my enjoyment of the garden as colour and scent. I hope this year the thrush manages to preserve its eggs from magpies and squirrels.

The first week of April was dismal, wet and cold, useless for taking photographs. This second week has been better but one of my grandchildren borrowed my digital camera for a school trip and still has it so I am relying on scanned pictures from snaps a friend took during the bad weather last week.

Because of the cold spell everything is now slightly behind this time last year but that means we stand less chance of damage from a late frost especially as this week is forecast cold again.

 The daffodils in the two beds that rotate through bulbs, forget-me-nots poached egg plants and dahlias have given a better display this year. I have planted purple pansies in the bed further from the house to go with the poached egg plants.

The aubretia is as good as ever where it hangs over the walls in the front garden but it is also now colouring the other borders of the rose beds.

The daffs in the front garden are more conspicuous than they were last year too.

I finished planting potatoes for this year, today (April 10^th), panicking because I am going to France tomorrow for a week. Still unable to get Lindsey Delicatesse. The seed specialists said it did not sell well enough for them to stock it.

The red dahlia tubers are spread out on trays. The rest will have to wait until I come back from France

The lilies in pots in the green house have come through. Hope I can protect them from the squirrels this year squirrels.

Mark has given me two new varieties of tomato to try. Must get the names off him! I am also growing the good old stand by Gardeners Delight.

The conservatory is filling up now that the surfinias and argeranthemums are getting a move on

21^st April

The neighbour who watered my conservatory and greenhouse while I was away did a grand job but the deity responsible for watering the garden was somewhat over zealous. The ground is sodden. The peas like it though but so unfortunately do the weeds. At least I can prick put in the conservatory even if I can't plant up in the garden

23^rd April Easter Sunday and the weather has changed to match, though not for long according to the weather forecasters.