Morris choices

William Morris said 'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful'. I'd apply the same rules to the garden - and this hard worker ticks both boxes. Tagetes, or marigolds, are often used in companion planting - being reputed to deter pests from attacking potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and other crops. I'm not sure whether it really works (though I have to say the ones I have in the veg garden got more than their fair share of the mealy bug infestation) but will always grow them anyway as they are no effort to grow, require no looking after and are beautiful to have dotted around the place. My pot marigolds died within a few weeks, but these ones have gone from strength to strength, thriving on the neglect with which I generously shower flowering plants once the veg and fruit start needing me.

A slow day today. My shoulder froze up this morning - though the left one this time, usually it's the right one - so the day has been spent moving around slowly and tentatively. Normally my pain management strategy is very conservative during the day (ie put up with it) and then I take knock out tablets at night and hope it's gone away in the morning. Today however, remembering Mr B's advice from Ness I took ibuprofen and half my normal dose of co-codamol. To quite some success I have to say. Instead of the expected day of sitting around feeling very sorry for myself, I have been able to get on with jobs - though very slowly... So, cookies were cooked (white chocolate, and white chocolate and marshmallow - though the latter batch did not turn out nearly so well as the ones I had at Country File's house a few weeks ago, I shall try again....), tomato plants were spruced up and a few photos from the holiday were processed. Can't do too much of the latter though as sitting at the computer is not helpful for a bad shoulder. Speaking of which, best go for a change of activity now.