ALL SORTS

About 4 weeks ago there was a water problem at the end of my lane. It was 'repaired' and promptly began running again. It's not the first time, it happened some 9 or 10 years ago and we knew

then that it was not what the gang were 'mending' each time, but further back along the system. People phoned, emailed, spoke to workmen wherever they saw them and I even spoke to Bucks Highways citing the damage to the road, all to no avail. The only response was a variety of excuses - the contractor's men were called away to see to a large burst main elsewhere - and still water was running down the road by the thousands of gallons. This may look as if water is draining away but it's really water bubbling through the lid of Thames Water's plate in the road.

This shows the way water was running down the road at the bottom of my lane for four weeks.

But the mini lake came in useful for this pair of dogs on their way home after their exercise.

At last the next-door-but-two neighbour has had his huge walnut tree lopped. This is how it looked before the tree loppers arrived with their chain saws and the huge shredder, left in the field at the back of our properties.

The orange blob near the top of the tree is the young man with the chain saw -' what a way to earn a living' as Dolly Parton sang. At least the weather was OK.

 This is how it looks now and even minus a bit more today - the lower left branch stump has gone. It's made such a difference with being able to see into the distance and the general feeling of light.

 It seems to be a good year for magnolias, there are so many trees in full bloom without being frosted. I spotted this on my home from another visit to the dentist.

And a lovely blue sky for the background.

It seems to be a good year for these, too - there are hundreds of them on the sides of the road, cheerful mini suns. Also known, of course, as wet-the-bed so perhaps they're a diuretic. Does anyone know? Lion's Tooth from its name - one of my German teachers used to call it Dan-Day-Lee-On. Children like to tell the time by puffing at the seed heads sending them off on a journey. It's also used for wine-making though gardeners aren't very fond of them. Can't be loved by everyone...

Now for something completely different! Sarah, my youngest granddaughter, was 22 yesterday and when the photo above, of brother James, was taken in a bluebell wood in Prestwood she was a couple of days old and still in hospital. One thing about his ginger hair is it glows in the sunshine. Now he's grown up he works with Formula 1 Force India racing team as an engineer after trying to get into Red Bull for a couple of years. His degree in Sports Car Engineering has paid off at last.
 I've looked for bluebells this year, especially in the woods round Chequers, but haven't seen that haze of blue yet.

Let us hope that this fine weather isn't our summer....