My hands are filthy with cool earth because the cat is lying on top of my new gardening gloves and I’m not getting swiped.

A small packet of seeds with 100 count, how many to sow, to broadcast or a few in a tray? (There’s no way my long sighted eyes can read this tiny packet print).

You know the answer already.

I sow the lot and I’m hoping a few will come and not be like last year when I couldn’t bear to thin out one seedling and ended up giving the whole street tomato plants potted into toilet rolls or any container I could fill with soil.

This year there are vegetables but also flowers.

Catmint or the snuggle plant as I like to call it as my cat will snuggle the poor plant the minute the first tiny leaves appear in the spring.

There will be violas, phlox, cornflowers and poppies. Nasturtiums and hanging pots with trailing flowers.

For now, empty soil trays with little labels.

I’ve just to wait.