SINCE LAST WE SPOKE...........

Our house from the back, showing Keith's handiwork.

My friend Judith and I at the garden centre


WELL! I don't know where to start. In fact I'm not even sure I can remember all I meant to tell you because I haven't a clue where I might have put my notes. They'll turn up tomorrow, you'll see!

Guess what I did a couple of Tuesdays ago? I went to Bingo. Now I know there are lots of people who like bingo. There are some who even win money at it - like enough to take 2 holidays abroad and get a tattoo. Good luck to them. I have no problem with it if that's what they want to do. But I hated every single minute. Every - - single - - minute!

My sis and I had been threatening to hit the hall, just to say we did. Then my niece (her daughter) rang to say she was going and would pick me up in an hour. So she did.

Well, what an experience. First of all you have to be a member to play. Don't know why but, hey-ho, it's free. Then you have to buy your tickets - for the whole evening. You get half a dozen 'books' each containing several strips of 5 tickets each strip. Each strip is a separate game but you have 5 TICKETS to mark for each game!

Oh, and don't forget your dabber. A Biro to cross the numbers off just won't do, you have to have a dabber. The reason soon became obvious: the numbers are called so fast there is only just time to hit the number (when you find it, if you do) with the dabber. To tell the truth, I spent most of the time creased up with laughter. The little chap doing the calling had a very camp way of talking. Instead of saying Forty-four, he said Farty-Far. Imagine 44!! There was never any danger of me winning anything, their bank accounts were safe with me. I couldn't keep up. You obviously need to be quicker in the brain department than me! In my defence I do like to think I have more going on in my head than bingo numbers. In reality, my ego went flying erratically round the room like a burst balloon!

Did I say.....I won't be going again! I wonder what bookies' shops are like inside?

What about this for a salad bowl?

Trust Keith, he came back from a local market, arms wrapped tightly around this. It's all sorts of different salad greens - just separate leaves - and where you break a few off to eat, more are supposed to grow in their place. I've never seen anything like this before. They're quite tasty! He also brought some trailing tomato plants, which you grow on your patio in a planter.

Considering he lawned over his veggie patch he's got quite a bit of stuff growing: Runner beans, potatoes, rhubarb and a few onions all in tubs. The rosemary is doing quite well, though it's small - perhaps because it's in a container but we never successfully moved a rosemary into the garden. They're ok if you plant them there to start with but they die if you move them. Our do anyway.

There are two different thymes. One is beautiful and the other not long for this world. Don't know why. The purple sage is in the garden and is coming through despite being pruned right back last autumn. It tends to go a bit mad if you don't.

The lovely flat-leaf parsley is showing willing too. I prefer it to the curly sort and it definitely adds a certain je ne sais quoi to salad, as do chives, which are just skinny new bright green shoots at the moment but their flowers (also edible) come out and make a beautiful display.

Is our house unique or just plain odd? we seem to have alkaline soil in the front garden and acidic at the back. We can't grow camellias or azaleas in the back but they love it out the front. I bet it would even support a rhododendron if there was room

We had our house valued today. Now that we have no mortgage we thought it would be a good idea to know what it's worth, especially as house values have gone down so much lately. Isn't it funny? Our first house, less than 40 years ago, cost less than £3,000. The second one, in 1978, was £12,800 and we thought what a lot of money that was. Now here I am hoping that this one will at least reach 6 figures. I wonder what we'll think is 'cheap' in 20 years time?