Evening sunshine on a metal garden trellis.

It’s been another day of hard work – that dry-lining and insulating is now done and all I have to do before the plasterer comes to skim it is to fill round the edges. I can use the excuse that the house is nearly 200 years old to explain two of the curly-wurly edges but can’t, unfortunately, use it for the others, which are made from modern block. They are simply the poor workmanship of a novice!

Although I’ve worked pretty hard, I must say it’s been a pleasurable exercise because the company I’ve kept while doing it has been so nice. Don, Erica and Ruby have kept me company. Ruby’s been trying to tell me her Mum is cruel and has been pulling out her toenails with a pair of pliers. I’ve reassured her that her Mum has her best interests at heart and all she’s doing is combing out her winter coat to leave her cooler and more trim! No pliers, no toenails!

The weather has been so beautiful and the location of my labours so sheltered that I’ve felt positively hot. I've been working outside with the sun on my skin and it's been very welcome indeed. I’m hoping that spring is now properly on the way. In fact, it must be, because when I got home from my labouring, I noticed that my front garden was awash with colour – we’ve got violets, primroses, dandelions, speedwell, vinca and daisies now adding to the colour from the daffs and the hellebores. Before we know it we’ll have bluebells!