Very Special

A lovely day on all fronts :-)

Having arrived at friends after dark last night it was a treat to look round their garden in the sunshine this morning.  Lots of spring colour!   Then a trip out to another friend on the Norfolk/Suffolk Border and a much larger but equally impressive garden.  Here a venerable Edgeworthia chrysantha was the highlight, many clusters of beautifully scented flowers.  It was good to catch up after a gap of too many years.

A much bigger gap since I last saw one of my old work colleagues with whom I met up this afternoon, twenty seven years since they took redundancy.   In all five of us met at Janine's and shared a lovely buffet lunch.   I had worked with Janine on my very first day, back in 1982 and although it's eleven years since she retired, she was just the same as always :-)   It was really lovely to get together again and I am hopeful it could be a regular feature when I am back in the area.

After a slight detour to drop someone home, it was a bit of a mad dash to Fressingfield in Suffolk for the last talk of the trip.   It's been a few years since I last gave the Crocus talk which was well received again tonight.  This was a small, village garden club, very friendly.  Sales were again good with most if the vases I have made now sold ... which gives me license to make more :-)

It's been a fun break, really nice to catch up with a few good friends.  Back in Birmingham with Ruth (by 115am)and a couple of appointments with her tomorrow, neatly dovetailing with the trip.  Another win.