In another world, I’d have spent the day with my feet up on the coffee table, demanding coffee, snoozing and being generally lazy. There would have been a trashy novel by my side and a detective show on the box. I would have been able to luxuriate in the thought processes that might have made for a fabulously inventive shot for my PAD yet here I am, charging round the garden at 6.30pm trying desperately for a shot of something, ANYTHING, that is sharp and not too boring.

Why? Because I have spent most of the day up to my neck in crap while I have been painting walls (Cornish Cream), along with fences and sheds (Green). I have a complete and utter inability to paint without painting myself and DM tells me that he thinks he could be in London when I’m painting and still get paint on him. So I came out of this marathon painting session coated from head to foot and DM had paint down the back of his leg and on his shorts.

I’ve also done four loads of washing – neither of us had any clean clothes while I’ve been studying – hung them out to dry, sorted them and put everything that doesn’t need ironing in its home. I’ve cooked a three-course meal for friends who are coming to dinner and, after all of this, find myself charging about looking for a grab shot.

This is red campion, otherwise (and more correctly) known as Silene dioica. It’s usually called a weed but I think it’s rather lovely which is just as well considering that this specimen is in the middle of my herbaceous border!