Good luck and I hope you mend soon, Plumpudding!

I still haven't fathomed it out! Must have another go when I am fresh in the morning!

I heard a frog croaking in our garden pond a few days ago, by the way.

As we don't have a TV, I didn't see the interview, but I should have loved to. I, too, find Alan Bennett exceedingly funny and I always take two or three of his smaller books, like Talking Heads, with me to read at airports. It quite makes me forget the long waiting times, and I can read them again ...

Thanks for your replies. I am going to grow next year's parsnips on a piece of ground which has never had parsnips on before and has not been manured for about three years. So, hopefully, with a bit of better weather, too, we'll not have a canker repeat! I will also check the pH of it.

Back again! We have just found that you can see the jigsaw picture on www.thehouseofpuzzles.com Click on "Dalmore collection" (1000 pieces) and it's the puzzle about fourth down on the left hand side. The engine bears the British Railways writing with the unicycling lion in the centre whic...

Many thanks everybody! We have a number of old gardening books from the 40s and 50s and all show wooden wheelbarrows in the illustrations. The railway engine is "indeterminable" (i.e. artist's licence!) and one cannot see a number on it. We have also just discovered a "Dig for Victory...

My husband, too, is a hoarder, Primrose, but I did persuade him to get rid of lots of stuff. Luckily, our local church had a sale yesterday and we provided them with four large boxes of stuff, as well as leaving some out in a charity bag. And, as you say, no more decorating then for another 15 years...

We recently bought ourselves a large jigsaw puzzle to do over Christmas and the new year. The picture shows a big, old-fashioned allotment site with a railway line in the background, carrying a passenger train pulled by a little black steam engine, so it will be fun to do. But in the foreground stan...

Very boring response, but I like our village shop and post office best. It's always busy but the young couple who run it are pleasant, very efficient and most people are on first name terms because they are locals, particularly in winter. On a larger scale, I really enjoy going to Salts Mill in Salt...

I should love to do some digging on the allotment, if only digging over the bed with the contaminated manure for the second time! But it really is just fit to harvest the usual winter veggies. Instead, husband and I have been busy the last 10 days redecorating the entire house from bottom to top - n...

Hear, hear about Booths supermarkets, Catherine! It must be company policy, because we regularly shop in their place in Ilkley and Settle and the staff there are brill. On mail order: I think amazon.co.uk must take some beating for speedy delivery of books! And wigglywigglers is good, too. I must ad...

We have had a sparrow terrace in the garden for several years, too, glallotments, and it's always blue tits which take over the central box. I don't think it's by chance - the middle box must be beautifully insulated by the two side boxes. One year we also had a wasps' nest in a box! As for visiting...

Perhaps we should add kohlrabi to the list? I certainly remember hunting for garlic to plant some years ago. Now they are offered by every garden centre. Not a vegetable, but can anyone remember when the only olive oil available was in teeny-weeny bottles at chemists? Just look at the range of them ...

Perhaps the magazine could make a little bit more propaganda for this forum? I know, not every reader has a computer but if, say, a half page each issue shouted about what's going on here, more people might join. I think in this month's issue there aren't even the usual snippets from the forum which...

Our parsnips this year have been badly attacked by canker, some are almost 'consumed' by it. The variety is Countess which I have grown for the last three or four years without any problem. Was it the wet weather this year or what? And is Avonresister really resistant to canker? If so, I might try i...