Willow

We now have less than three weeks in this valley before we move back to Northumberland. This year we were due to move anyway, and to move back to such a lovely area is something we're looking forward to. Oh, but leaving here will be hard. We are at the stage now when we're doing the last of everything, starting on the round of goodbyes. People make speeches and say nice things about us and it's so lovely of them, but it makes it harder for us to go.

Yesterday I did my last todddler group. (It's called 'Angels'.) I knew they were planning something, but I hadn't expected my superb colleague Sam to come in with the most beautiful mauve clematis in a pot. It's an 'Angelique', and she's even drawn an angel on the container. They've ordered a rose for my new garden, too, and I realised they know me too well when they presented me with a teddy bear. What a cutie! He's big, fluffy and toffee-coloured wearing a hand-knitted red sweater with 'With Love From Angels' emrboidered on the front, and of course he's called Angel. He's settled in very quickly with a bit of help from Hamilton.)

This morning Tony did his final school assembly and came home with a tree, as you do. The school is called River Side, so they thought a willow tree would be appropriate. It'll have to live in a pot because willow roots are notorious for going where you don't want them to, but it will be a very fine tree as it grows up.

We expect our first few weeks in the new house to be pretty disrupted as we get the new fire put in, decorate, work out where all the furniture goes, and so on. But the garden will be fine. I'll be out there urging the willow to grow tall and strong and telling Angelique how beautiful she is, and thinking with love of my Angels.