This is my lovely neighbour, Heather, who I took to Mottisfont yesterday. It was a lovely day out, I treated her, which was hard work as she kept trying to pay for things. She has lived in the same house since it was built ( 1958?) and is a very hard grafting lady, who does more cleaning in a day than the rest of us ever do. She still works, cleaning for 2 mornings a week for others. She said she had NEVER been to a place like Mottisfont before, and had no idea gardens with so many flowers existed. Now, ladies and genteleman, that sounds to me like an injustice if ever there was one. We had lunch in the pub at Dunbridge station, where Ang memorably knocked over her glass of beer that she had looked forward to throughout our mega bike ride last summer. We had no money left, so she had to lick up the remnant from the table and do without. R, H A and granny Mary came to Mottisfont on Friday evening too. It is really spectacular and open til 8pm in June. I could spend all day wandering around the walled gardens admiring the flowers. So, if you are at a loose end the next few weeks and want to take me with you, I have an NT card and get in for free and will be no trouble.

We worked hard on the garden at the weekend, and some pictures will be posted shortly to accompany the experience of listening to me, dear friends, this Sunday, 12 noon on BBC radio Solent, where once again I am taking to the airwaves to expound my knowledge of gardening. It will be over in about 30 seconds.

I am scheming with Grannmy Mary to go to Wimbledon this year, it having been 21 years since I last went I think I am due a visit. Sadly I was not seeded for this year's event, but you will be able to catch me at Eastbourne later in the year. Some of the ladies at the tennis club ( our posh gym) are so elderly that I surely would be able to play tennis, based on fitness alone with no regard for style or skill? We have really enjoyed the outdoor pool in the recent hot weather, sadly so do all the other members, so it gets a bit choppy. Most of them like sunbathing more than swimming. I went to aerobics this morning, which I really like, it is sad that with so many demands on my fitness time I rarely benefit from the plethora of classes on offer. On Saturday morning Sarah and I did a dummy run for our Aquathon, with a swim and a run around the common. I think I will do OK.