In the long run

 What with gardening and "tidying up" my books and covers, I'm a tad busy which is just as well as it helps to get over the big gap there is in our household once again. Those who've never had a dog cannot imagine how silent and empty the house is without that doggy presence,

I haven't gone for a walk since last Sunday, but I have been in the garden every day. Pruning overgrown buddleias and digging up crocosmia that has overtaken everything else in the vicinity. Next it will be the Michaelmas daisies, but at the moment they provide a wonderful contrast to the autumn colours of the Virginia creeper.

Next, we are planning to take down an apple tree that is getting far too big for the size of garden we have and only produces tiny little crab apples - I think it was a wild seed anyway! Also, a laburnum, for the same reason. We will still have another laburnum in a different part of the garden. It does look lovely when in bloom.

The garden will look very bare throughout the winter but will be beneficial in the long run.

NB The Elsdon Affair is free for a few days from today. Why not read and review?