we've had some really glorious sunshine in between the downpours and it has been quite warm even (not that the whole winter ever got cold much). Reminds me why I LOVE Spring so much!

It also reminds me that this time next year we will be into the final weeks before we put the house on the market, so I need photos of everything, but I just got the camera out and either both batteries are completely dead or the camera is! I have major plans to tidy up the garden, and it will have to be complete and ready to roll by Autumn because at this time of year our grass is still sucking up buckets of water and cannot be trodden on. Nothing but minor pruning, front hedge trimming and planting some rapacious border plants in my wall beds to hide the carpet of weeds that has survived the entire Winter so far (related to clover so it's impossible to get rid of without chemicals or cleaning out and starting again!). Still, my lovely little narcissi are filling the wall now and look lovely. The scillas are a little less enthusiastic. I have a bowl of narcissi out the front as well by the door and it's a lovely welcome home.

I need to plan which rooms will need repainting and all the little irritating jobs we've successfully ignored but know that we can't if we want to get a reasonable price for the house and sell on our own schedule. Like replacing the cracked pane of glass in the greenhouse and clearing up some of the more cluttery elements from the previous owners. Since our office is in a self-storage place we know exactly what we'll do with most of our clutter when the time comes - just move it out so the house looks beautifully spacious and designerish.

Then there's the school thing - DD didn't get into the school we wanted, so may get stuck with another one for the first year. We're appealing of course, but just telling them that you intend to move next Summer may not be sufficient I'm guessing!

And work! I started moving some of the clutter into our new larger office across the hall today - it was a slower day than usual, but that may just be me forgetting the really important things. We don't have a fixed date for when the furniture's coming but I want the vast majority shifted over there earlier. We're also moving the larger office chair from our home office over there - it was bought on company money and it's just in the way here. We rarely both sit at our home desks at the same time so we'll just use a stool when needed. The second desk will be one of the first things to leave when we're ready to start selling the house!

So it's all go here as well. Zillah, don't buy wrecked unless you know you are capable and willing to make the changes needed. If you're like us (bought a blackout blind for DS for last Summer and still haven't put it up) then don't kid yourself you'll get ound to stuff, that this will be different. I know myself better now, and I know Francis' limitations too. If you're not the type to paint your own walls then renovating a rundown cottage is not going to be something you do.

Lenora - I found some creme brulee candles which are divine, and mango is quite nice too. I don't like all florals, but I love lily of the valley and I have an inexplicable passion for rose too. Sometimes like lavendar. I also doubt very much whether you should be cutting your calorie intake further. This isn't medical advice, but I would think you need to work on movement rather than calories - running up and down stairs instead of walking is something I unfortunately do a lot of! And in order to have the energy to get moving you can't cut your calories or you won't be able to find the energy to exercise (dirty word that!). And are you eating breakfast? It gets your metabolism going earlier in the day. The old theory about breakfast like a king, lunch like a commoner, dine like a pauper has a great deal of value, because you have less time to work off a heavy dinner before bed. You're probably doing all of that stuff anyway. Maybe your body wants a rest from dieting, or it has reached its comfortable weight perhaps. I know you swim so try looking for a place where nobody knows you and everyone's older than you so you don't feel self-conscious about the swimming costume before you hit your intended weight. My mother goes to a great place, and at a clever time, which is actually only for over 50s but the water's warm and most of the over 50s are in their 70s! Maybe you can find a pool which does a time which would suit you and not have you swimming in front of loads of people you know! Not the over 50s of course!! You know what I mean.

Kerri.