This photo shows one of the paths running alongside Rydal Water just beneath Loughrigg Fell. The trees are still quite bare and the colours quite wintry but it was a beautifully warm and sunny day when this was taken!
We found this garden full of daffodils on our first walk. I have not been to the Lakes at Easter before and it was great to see the thousands of daffs everywhere. All sorts and varieties too. No wonder Wordsworth was so inspired by daffodils in the Lake District.

The hedge at the bottom of the garden looks much neater and overhangs the rockery a lot less since the chainsaw expert visited yesterday! I love my hedge; it's home to so many birds and gives us both privacy and security in the summer. Just after the hedgecutter left, I nipped upstairs and heard some chuntering from the back garden. Eavesdropping, I heard one of the neighbours who back onto us loudly complaining to my next door neighbour that hedge clippings had dropped into the entry that runs along between her back garden and mine but to which I have no access from my garden - I have to walk right round the block to get there. I was rushing off to Chester to try to get these birth certificates but I resolved to to go round and collect the clippings in my car on my return. When I did return to grab my gardening gloves before Operation Pick Up, it was to find all the clippings had been hurled over into my garden!

I think this is a bit unfriendly - I wish she had spoken to me and given me the chance to collect the stuff! This is a person whose motion-activated security light is so angled that it illuminates our bedroom numerous times every night!!

I was completely unable to park in Chester so could not get the birth certificates. In despair I emailed them, asking if I could do a postal application. They very kindly got in touch and offered to take the details over the phone so hopefully the certificates will be posted out to us today! Very nice and helpful people indeed. The funny thing is no proof of my identity is required to get these certificates. It seems strange!

Am absolutely dreading work today. Thank goodness I'm only working two days in the next fortnight. I just can't face it right now - am such a coward. The IBS is still bad. We have a Friends of the Library coffee morning today too, plus our monthly reading group this evening. Oh well, it's only 9.5 hours and then I'm off until Friday 13th April.

UPDATE: as often happens when you are dreading something - work is ok if very hectic, and of course I'd rather be in the garden!! No more news of K but her sister in law has asked for my phone number again :( Thanks to everyone who is sending her positive thoughts or praying for her!