Summer was here yesterday. I don't know if the visit will be short or long, but it was very welcome. A beautiful day for the Tuesday Market, which I visited very quickly before heading to Green's and then home. I wished I could have stayed and browsed amongst the beautiful blooms and colourful displays of flowers on display. However, being away for a week, it's just surprising how quickly the grass grows, new flowers bloom and older ones die. In other words, serious gardening needed doing. We both worked very hard, cutting down dead branches, thinning out overhanging shrubbery and generally tidying the place up. Dominic worked much harder than me, because I eventually collapsed onto a lounger to enjoy the sun. Today looks dull but at least it's warm. A carpet fitter is coming at 9 am to fit a new bedroom carpet so I'd better get dressed or risk giving the man a serious fit. See you later. See, I may have broken the PC code. I assume it will be a man fitting the carpet but it may well be a woman. I doubt it though. Have to be careful what you say these days.

The Queen and Prince Philip arrived in Berlin yesterday for a few days. They were greeted at the airport Tegel by a 21 gun salute before making their way to Hotel Adlon where they are staying as they did in 2004. She is on her way today to a boat trip on the Spree and on Friday to Bergen- Belsen memorial camp. In her handbag she carries lipstick, a folded fiver in case she must donate in a church, reading glasses and a mobile phone. Her handbag is a means of communication with her ladies-in-waiting, if she changes it from one arm to the other that means " Get me away from here"!
This is her 5th visit to the Vaterland.

donald

Forgot to say she will not be coming to Munich this time, when here she stays in Nymphenburg Castle not too far from where I live. I could have asked her around for afternoon tea.
donald

I saw the Queen and Prince Philip (his birthday is the same date as mine) on tonight's news. She wore a beautiful ivory coloured suit with matching hat and looked very well for an old lady. I thought I would have seen you in the crowd but there were an awful lot of people there.