Cloudy.

A hazy day with high white clouds cutting us off from the warmth of the sun. It has begun to rain lightly now at nearly 6.00.

I wasn't up so early this morning but still walked up the cliff to The Monument. It's only a short walk but if I did it every day it would be good for my general fitness. I didn't quite make it to the top without having to stop to catch my breath. On my way up as I passed the last house a black and white cat appeared on the path. It was so similar to Speedy who I knew was outside that I even called out to it. When it turned and looked at me I saw that it had more black on its legs. On the way down there was a lot of baaing from the field behind and when I looked I saw a farmer feeding his sheep and lambs. I've put both photos up to show the white froth of the blackthorn and possibly hawthorn (May Blossom) in the hedges along with the yellow gorse which flowers all year round. (The neatly mown field in the foreground is part of the holiday park.)

Also on my way down I heard some beautiful birdsong from the bushes which I think was from a linnet which hadn't yet developed its pink breeding season plumage.

A bill had arrived from the builder so I thought I might as well go to the dump and then go to the bank and Lidl. I had my usual half an hour of singing while waiting at the dump. That was after I'd got out and informed the lady in the car in front that she was there on the wrong day as her number plate was odd. She was grateful to have been saved a fruitless wait and left me waiting behind an Alfa Romeo with an incongruous load of scrap in the back.  This was my last load for the dump for the time being now the garden is clear of rubbish. Next stop Morrisons where having spotted some clematis in another shopper's trolley I found they had a very good selection of small clematis for £2 each. I thought that this would be a good use of the money from the chimney pots and bought nine clematis and a ceanothus to supplement the climbers I bought in Asda last year.

Then I headed to the centre of town and having remembered the 2.00 closing time went to the bank first. It was only as I got there I remembered that they are closed all day on Tuesdays. Oh well, I tried. A quick spin round the charity shops and then Lidl where I bought a cordless iron for £15. That will be very useful as at the moment I have to use an extension lead to be able to do the ironing in front of the tv. Last stop was Argos to return the faulty curtain rail. They didn't have one in stock and I have to collect the replacement next week.

When I got home we put up the next two sections of short trellis which are a slightly different colour to the original ones. They are all made by the same manufacturer so I think it's just an aging thing. I then took the clematis out of their plastic bags and as unlike the ones from Asda the labels are card rather than plastic I wrote out the variety and colour on some proper plant labels. That done I sat on a pile of paving slabs to ponder on my next steps in the back garden. I often find that simply mulling over ideas as I do a mundane task or sit leads to the best solutions to garden design.