<!--extended-->

My garden has been thriving of late, with the tomato plants growing so big their bamboo stakes were useless and I resorted to propping them up with chairs. Flowers have been appearing on the sweet peas and the two gigantic tomato bushes (calling them plants is doing them an injustice). Aphids were plenty but so were the wee ants which seemed to be keeping damage to a manageable level and I was day dreaming about the salads I could make with my home grown lettuce and toms.

But disaster has now struck. This week has been a pretty punishing one, with several late nights and early starts thanks to work so the plants had been forgotten. This morning I opened the door to the outside world and found the neglect had taken its toll.

The once flourishing deep green lettuce has wilted to brown limp shreds, the coriander is yellow and my one producing tomato plant was unhealthy and limp. There was frantic splashing as water was hurriedly applied and I hope some of the damage may yet be undone.

Maybe it is too soon for a puppy......