It was also ideal for growing houseplants and my epiphyllum never flowered so well before, or since. I had two lemon trees in there, but I think they were outside for the summer. I grew them from pips in my gin and tonic at the office Christmas party in 1979. I remember stumbling to my desk (no hot desking then!) and inserting the pips into my silver leaf begonia's pot. I scooped some water out of the goldfish bowl to water them in and by the beginning of January they were up and off. They grew up and out and eventually had to be taken home due to size considerations... They finally fruited in 1999 just the one lemon each. Sadly after thirty two years of me carrying them in and out of the house every spring and autumn, they got too heavy so I gave up and left them out. The winter of 2011 did for them.
Sam was very, very good at procrastinating. He hasn't changed a bit.
Sam, George and I are walking to school along the lane between the park and the hospital. It was very pretty in the summer. Lots of birdsong. Birdsong is one of the things that makes most people happy. It's a shame that we are not more careful about keeping them safe.
I had read the Narnia stories so often by then, sometimes out loud, that I could remember them pretty much scene for scene. This came in extremely useful on the way to school. I think I was reading them as Sam's bedtime story and if he fell asleep half way through I could re-tell that bit on the way in the next day.
They were just starting to knock down the Victorian Nurses' Home judging by the yellow skip in the picture. It was red brick, damp and tall. I didn't miss it in the least. I am sure it had rats.
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