Daisy Daisy

Just been for my annual hunt for marguerites - bright, cheerful daisy-like flowers that will gladden my heart from now until the first frosts. My auntie/godmother introduced them to me, buying me some plants to put in pots for my back yard when I lived in my terrace house. I plant them every year at 88 as a homage to her. Dead head them and they just keep coming. Pick a few for a small vase or float the flower heads in a pretty bowl of water. I also have grape hyacinths which are up at the moment for her. I always regret that I didn't dig those little deep blue grape arrows up from her garden when she passed and transfer them to a pot. But I didn't and I lost the continuity, the handing on down but never mind.

My auntie loved gardening. She was I suppose from the old fashioned school of horticulture with lots of bedding plants and separate rose bushes around a green square of grass. I swear she sometimes swept that soil - there wasn't a weed to be detected. Her garden always looked loved and tendered. It was her pleasure.

It was all the more tragic when she suffered a debilitating stroke in her early sixties just as she had retired. She could no longer garden herself after that and I think it broke her heart really. She died in 2005 but every year I think of her with love and fondness when I see the grape hyacinths and I plant the marguerites. Here's to you, Auntie Ivy x

Library Royale

My name is Blakeley - Virginia Blakeley and I love quirky. Anything that is a bit out of the ordinary or makes me think out of the box or is a bit strange I rather like. Last night I did something which I consider quirky. I met James Bond in my local library. I saw the very loud, action-packed, exciting Casino Royale (Craig not Niven) at my local library.

It was fab. Sat amongst the book shelves, watching Mr Bond in his swimming trunks, running an awful lot as it turned out, surviving ordeal after ordeal. I loved the fact I could walk down from 88 to the impromptu cinema and that I was in an film arena of books watching a film of a book.

Just a thought -  if Hyde Library is shut and moved to Hyde Town Hall will there be the room to hold such events? I am sure these evenings raise the profile of the library and encourage more people to go through the doors. Not to mention the enjoyment they give. Just something for Councillors and managers to bear in mind. Well done to the staff at Hyde Library for organising the event.

Splash, bang, wallop

I think the most fun times I have ever had have involved water. On Saturday my husband, two children and I went to one of my best friend's daughter's 8th birthday party (keep up) in a swimming pool. There was a giant inflatable assault course in the middle of the pool. The children attacked the giant floaty thing with gusto and laughter and as it turned out with great elegance.

I watched as they bounced onto the float, over and under, quick as leaping flames and scrambled efficiently by each obstacle, weaving in and out and then a big jump over open water for their final reward, scaling a small mountain and down the slide into the deep. Gosh it looked fun.

So much so that I just couldn't resist. I asked the lifeguard if grown-ups could do it. She looked at me and said "Sure you can have a go". She was a wise lifesaver because she knew I couldn't do it. I tentatively jumped onto the float and it wobbled. And I soon realised that I couldn't do this elegantly in a swimsuit when you are 47 and have had two children. But I didn't care - I was having fun. The other parents cheered me on. I managed somehow to get to the jumping bit. My husband shouted encouragement from the pool "Just launch yourself, Virginia". And so I did. And so I splattered without decorum into the deep water. And so I came up laughing. Of course,  I started a trend: my husband, my friend's husband, another mum and another mum all launched themselves. They all splattered hilariously into the deep until another Dad showed us the way. We may be heavier, we may be dafter but we have longer legs than 8 year olds and our saviour taught us to grab hold and stride over that gap.  I was able to go home having conquered the giant inflatable.

I remembered then all the fun times in the garden paddling pool at 88, swimming in the sea in Scotland, relaxing in the deep blue sea in Greece, plunging into cold streams in Derbyshire (yes it can be fun), swimming in lidos, shooting wet my loved ones with water pistols. Gosh I hope this summer is a hot one and the water is warm.