Bits and pieces

So many people asked me for a photo of the new bag that I have taken one.  I suspect you might notice that the background is the corner of a wine rack. 

 

I thought I would also share with you a tiny vase of snowdrops and hellebore which is currently sitting on my kitchen table.  The little vase was bought for me by younger son on his first visit to France when he was about twelve.  I loved it when he gave it to me and I have loved it ever since.

The next blog is going to be a review of the new book by Toby Buckland, presenter of the BBC's Gardeners' World programme.  That sounds like a trailer for something which isn't what I meant!  What I mean is that I thought I might write it tonight and find I haven't quite finished thinking about it.  It is quite exciting to be asked to review something and even more exciting to get a free gardening book, since gardening books of the paid variety come trooping through the door here all year long.  Having established that I can say what I like about the book without fear or favour I thought it would be interesting to do it and have been carting the book about with me and reading it with rather more attention than I would have done had I not had the task of working out what I actually think.  I've always been a bit wary of the role of the critic.  It is so much easier to write about someone else's endeavour than to do it yourself and so easy to let the power of the pen go to your head.  I am uncomfortable when I read a really savage review of anything, even something that might deserve it.  If you want to read a review written with a wonderfully light and sardonic touch try this one by Julian Clary of a novel by Sharon Osbourne.  Mine will not be like that, sadly, but it made me smile!

I will just go away and finish getting my head round what I like and don't like about the Toby Buckland book and have a go tomorrow, possibly after yoga when the whole world looks a little shinier.