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I went to the garden centre today, in the drizzle, to get my BOGOF patio roses.  I got four, although only one is scented and that only slightly, which I'm a bit cross about, but obviously I could only buy what they had on offer.  I got a cream, a scarlet, a floppy pink floribunda a bit like an old-fashioned rose and another pink one.

I bought a beautiful heavenly blue clematis to try once again growing something up the wall trellis opposite the back door and the very last pot of three runner bean plants to pot on and keep indoors for another couple of weeks.  Apparently they will be selling more later in the month, ready to go straight outside.  I thought I'd buy these anyway, because I missed them completely last year.

I also bought another 20 little peat plug-pots to start off more seeds and I bought catnip seed and Sweet Cicely seed.  I'm a bit disappointed to see that the Sweet Cicely seed is meant to be planted outdoors in December or January because it needs the cold to germinate.  I'm tempted to try sowing some anyway to see what would happen.  Would it help to put them in the freezer for a week?  Or to plant them and then keep them in the fridge for a fortnight? What would other people do?

Next week's BOGOF offer is for Hostas which I'm not particularly keen on, but they will be quite big ones in 2 litre pots, so maybe they'd be a good buy.  But how would I keep the slugs'n'snails off them?  Because I've noticed that whenever I see displays of hostas in horticultural gardens, they've nearly always been attacked by something.

The following week's offer is for half-price Japanese acers, which I assume includes the dwarf ones.  If they're not way out of my price league, I might try one in a barrel tub, because I love the way they look.  After that is the Biggie!  Half-price bedding plants.  Heigh! ho! for perfumed purple petunias and other annual goodies.  I see the small print only allows for 4 packs per voucher.  I wonder if I can get them to give me another voucher next week?

All I've been able to do with today's purchases is dump everything on the table in the yard and wait till tomorrow when I hope it may have stopped raining.  Naughty Morgan has already started to eat the roses!  Who needs slugs and snails when they have a barmy cat?

Charles has had his yearly psychiatric evaluation this afternoon.  I was very pleased because he's always asked me to go with him before, but this time he went on his own, although John drove him there and waited outside for him.  They think he's so much better that they've decided he no longer needs regular visits from the higher grade Mental Elf (I can't remember what his post is actually called) and can make do with Amy and Christian most of the time although Dave will come occasionally.  I'm so pleased.  He's also going on a STEPS programme soon, which I hope will build up his confidence.

All in all, I'm feeling very cheerful!  And my arthritic knee which has been agonising for days is a bit better today, so all in all, I think it's a Hurrah! day today!

Edited to add

On examining the patio roses again, I find that three of the four are described as scented.  How odd that I didn't see that before, especially as I was looking for it!

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Charles made a wonderful risotto this evening.  It only had a little diced chicken, a glass of white wine, chicken stock, arborio rice, parmesan and butter, but it was divine!

It was very much better than any risotto I've ever made because he was really patient and added the wine and the stock a little at a time as you're supposed to, whereas I always lose patience and pour too much in at a time.

I'm really proud of him!
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I've invented a whizzo new pastime. Every day I make a list of things I have to do including things left over from the previous list, and then I deliberately fail to do them. It gives me enormous satisfaction! Occasionally I find that I've actually done one or two things on the list without realising it, which is a bit disconcerting, but on the whole it works very well.

Today I've done absolutely nothing but mess about on the Internet. I uploaded quite a few more photos to Flickr and I cooked the dinner, but apart from that I've done nothing constructive at all. This is partly because I've been trying to stop myself thinking about something.

This morning a chap called Steve phoned Charles about giving him a part-time job on his CD stall in Grainger Market and asking him to go for an interview tomorrow morning. I know that Charles is terribly anxious and nervous about it, even though he would rather like the job, and I've had to try really hard not to fuss and tell him what to wear, or say or do. I know that the man is a nice guy who knows the score about Charles, and I've actually seen him, because it's the place I always buy Christmas present CDs for John. Both the chaps who work there are about my age and into all the sorts of music I like and people our age grew up with.

I've been so worked up about Charles getting worked up about it, that I've been feeling physically sick. I actually thought I was going to throw up after dinner, but fortunately that has passed somewhat. I don't know whether Charles is managing to sleep. He went up at 9.00 and said he was going straight to bed, but I imagine him lying there in the dark, sleeplessly worrying himself sick about it. I don't think I'll be sleeping much either, as I've promised to wake him early and nowadays when I have to wake early I have trouble sleeping anyway, apart from worrying about him.

It would be such a great thing for him to get a job and hold it down, and particularly for him to enjoy it. He hasn't worked except for me since Spring 1999, so it's a big step and a great leap forward if he succeeds.

Oh God! I'm so anxious for him and I'm praying so hard that he'll be OK and get the job if he wants it.

Oh dear! I must stop this. I've started to feel sick again and I've got a splitting headache.

Today, after seeing photos of Shirley Bassey in her posh stage frock and diamanté wellies, I searched on the Internet for snazzy wellies, just in case the weather for Holly's wedding is too awful. It's amazing how many different kinds of snazzy wellies there are. Unfortunately they're far too expensive and the tops are not big enough for my fat legs. The little half-boots don't seem to come in anywhere near as many nice styles.

Perhaps I'll find my khaki gardening clogs and embellish them myself!!

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