Monday 10th July - has it only been a week -

- since the piano lesson that was so frustrating? This week we got on just fine; she'd actually done the work, was all over smiles because she had mastered the tricky technical issues and could bask in the well-earned glow of success. Excellent; how lovely to finish for the summer on a high. (Here's hoping for the same for the rest of this week's lessons!)

I managed to clear some annoying little computery tasks; saving photographs from WhatsApp and from emails and so forth.

Have also planted the remaining two verbena plants, ordered bits and pieces for the garden (peony supports and more slug gone wool pellets) and a selection of flower seeds to sow this month; snapdragon, delphiniums (which I've never had in the garden before), pansies, stocks, honesty and michaelmas daisies. The plan is to sow them now for next year. If winter doesn't prove too severe. 

I've also ordered seeds for miniature roses - it never occurred to me to grow these from seed - but why not? 

This year I bought that mega selection of random plug plants which arrived while the weather was still cold. I looked after them as best as I could, but the survival rate wasn't wonderful so I thought that I'd try DIY.

There is a highly charged match on Wimbledon which needs my full attention so I'm going to have to stop; Alcatraz v Berrettini are 2 sets to 1, and one game all. Both men are absolutely giving it their all.