I walked out of the house a couple of days ago to find this by the side of the step. It’s not the most luxuriant, or the straightest, flower in the street, but neither were many of the others we’ve been given over the years. When you think that our gardens at the farm are mainly grown from gifts, it’s amazing what a few donated flowers can do.

We’re very lucky having a neighbour across the road who gives us plants on a regular basis – her donations must exceed every other source of plants we have, and this was one of them. I’d been moaning that I’d had to pull some chamomile out of the allotment and that the weather wasn’t conducive to transplanting.

This bed here is almost entirely flowers that have been donated, rescued from compost or grown from cuttings. And poppies. WE have a lot of poppies.If the sun comes out again today I’ll take an up-to-date shot to show you how it’s coming along.

So what I’m saying, I suppose, is thanks to the people who help us, we couldn’t do it without your help. That includes everyone who reads the blog, because it’s about encouragement as much as anything.