This is like November.............

One of my roses. I cut all those in flower and brought them inside. Just as well.

Oh, my poor, poor garden. We have appalling winds and more rain and I tried to save things this morning, but had to admit defeat. Branches of the roses snapped, young plants torn off at the roots, flowers blown away. Everything has been hammered by the winds, and it will have to just be what it is.

So dispiriting.

The bunting along the house was tossed into the gutter, and it got caught under the clips and was soaking wet and filthy. Fortunately, a friend popped in and climbed up and got it down for me, and I have washed it and it is now dripping onto my kitchen floor from the airer. And I just can't bring myself to see what else is wrecked, because the winds are due to get stronger tonight. The next 5 days do not look good at all.

I popped into town with Jean to get some slug bait this morning. We also managed to visit the new M&S Simply Food shop, which is always good, and checked out the price of decking at the DIY store too. I want to build raised beds for the allotment next year. I need 18 planks of decking to have 3 raised beds. It will have to wait. The plan is to drill the holes and get everything ready to put together down there in the autumn, and fill the bottoms with my compost for the winter, and loads of shredded paper and grass cuttings. But the planks are on offer right now. Hmmm.

Anyway. Where was I.......

At Andrew and Ann's home, I needed something to do with my hands in the evenings, so on my exciting bus adventure, I popped into John Lewis and bought a ball of wool. I already had a crochet hook with me. Of course. I am prepared. I had seen a summer wreath at Attic 24, and decided to do one while I was there. One ball of stripey wool.

So I crocheted away, and in an evening, I had a longish piece. Ann and I went to Hobbycraft, and I found a cheap polystyrene ring, and had to yank out about 10 rows to make it fit snugly.

The stripey wool worked well, given that I was not going to go and buy 12 balls of different colours.

Then I unravelled the rest of the wool and cut and joined separate colours and made some flowers and leaves, and..............

pinned them in place.

There you are. Not quite in Lucy's category, but it looks great and I am pleased with it. I have been in a bright flowery mode for a while now - before I left for the southern excursion, I had been making dozens of flowers and hanging them on my tree. See????

With bright little buttons in the centres. They look super and they go with my rainbow bunting. That is up for summer indoors now. I haven't changed the rest of the house yet, just the kitchen/family room. I lose the will to live when I think of the piles of stuff I need to sort on the deck before I find the summer colours, so maybe I will do a different thing this year. Watch this space.

Glynis is making steady progress - she was out of bed for a while today, and I spoke to her this morning too. She sounded a little woozy, but it was good to hear her voice. I have been looking after their dogs and waiting for their tiler today. And trying to avoid watching Roger lose in Paris. Sigh. And the phone has been ringing and it is my brother-in-law's birthday today.

I am off to have a nap on the couch. I will be back tomorrow......