Colour at last

There's a patch just outside the sitooterie that is a blaze of colour: yellow and purple crocuses, and the first daffodils.  There have been some spells of fine weather long enough for me to get out and garden a little, so the roses - most of them, anyway - are pruned, and I've made a start on giving the penstemons their annual short back and sides.  Much of the grass is still too soggy to cut, but I did manage to cut the bit that shows at the front, where the ground is a little drier.

Someone points out on Facebook today that the petition to reinstate Cl4rk5on has attracted far more signatures than one calling for an end to female genital mutilation.  As I tersely observed there yesterday, I used to enjoy Top Gear when it was about cars rather than its presenter.  I haven't watched it for some years, having tired of the juvenile laddishness, let alone what I've heard described as the hubristic bigotry that has become its trademark.

Oh well, wholesome entertainment last night: a fund raising quiz by the Friends of the local CAB.  The format, unlike the subject-specific rounds at the Mayor's quiz, was eight rounds of mixed general knowledge, which we preferred.  I have to say that the questions were on the whole rather easier, though that didn't stop us coming in with fewer than 5/10 in a couple of rounds.  Nevertheless, our table (largely thanks to Martyn) came fourth out of eighteen, and we might have crept up a place had they accepted my answer that Switzerland's is one of the few flags of the world that are square rather than rectangular.  But it's only a game, and at £15 per head including fish and chips, it's good value.

More gardening today, since Miss is struck down with a bad cold.  I'm busy elsewhere next Thursday, so that puts off still further the evil hour of pencil portraiture sessions!  Shame too in a way: I have a box of nice French drawing pencils in the boot of the car.  You can't buy Criterium pencils here, so I keep an eye out for them in the French supermarkets, and buy them up when there are good deals on offer.  It means that I can resell them at 50p and just break even: the weakness of the Euro helps, of course.  I should add that I don't attempt to factor in transport costs...