The world has gone mad.

It is mid-March and has been snowing here today. I know that it’s not unheard-of but it’s certainly not common. My Mum tells a story of taking me for a walk in my pushchair when I was 20 months old and she was heavily pregnant with my little sister (so spring 1962) when it snowed at Easter but that story is interesting because it was unusual.

We’ve had black clouds, snow, high winds and temperatures below freezing basically all day and yet here we are at around 5pm (just before actually, my camera clock is still set to BST). It’s suddenly glorious sunshine and my coral bark Acer (Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku') is looking extremely gorgeous against a blue sky. How could I resist quickly popping out and getting a photo? Soon, all things being “normal”, it will be covered in leaves and this bark will be hidden from view for the summer. It’s almost a shame, but not quite!

This small tree is surely one of the most exquisite garden trees that money can buy. I have now planted two of them, the first in my last home’s front garden and now here. This one was particularly satisfying as it was a Duchy of Cornwall nursery “sorry corner” purchase. This is the place where they put the pot-bound and generally sorry for themselves plants and sell them off cheap! So it was a bargain in cash terms and a source of magic for the soul. How can you want more? It’s been here since 2006 and is growing albeit slowly. It’s not exactly the most hospitable of gardens for an exotic tree although it is fully hardy.

Do you remember “Crazy Colour” hair dye? I used to use it when I was in my late teens/early 20s when it didn’t matter if I looked like a crazy person. I used a shade more-or-less exactly this colour on my hair on a regular basis. Oh glory of glory - I've just discovered you can still buy it thanks to the wonder of google. Happy days...

Now, as I type this, it's snowing again!