Mirabelle blossom

We have a small damson tree (fan-trained on a wall) and a small mirabelle too, bush-trained on dwarfing stock.  Our garden is wide but not particularly deep, so it's always a case of making best use of the space.  Growing fruit trees is what I like to do best; it brings back happy memories of my maternal grandparents' garden.  Grandpa was a self-employed builder, and the produce from the extensive back garden, behind the house he had built himself, was essential to their household economy.  It had a small orchard at the far end, which had begun to run wild by the time I was visiting as a small child. So this was a perfect place for a child to escape adult gazes, hidden among the overgrown apple trees and the feisty free-ranging hens. I know that this little haven disappeared after their deaths, and was taken over as land for new housing.
Both the damson and the mirabelle are frothy with white blossom at the moment. My fingers are crossed for some fruit later in the year, if frost damage doesn't get in the way.
Today I planted a third tree in the plum family, an 'Early Transparent Gage'. I've grown these successfully in a previous garden; the fruit has a beautiful, delicate taste and turns a lovely shade of gold/green when ripe, with hints of pink here and there.  This will be another fan-trained specimen,  taking up a space on a sunny wall where I had to remove a non-thriving cherry last year.  This item arrived very late from the nursery I'd ordered it from, so I've had to plant it later than is usual for bare-root trees. I'm hoping all will be well, we'll see.  Gardening involves a great deal of luck and faith :-)

Apart from that, Ruth stayed over last night with both boys; Josh has been away on a residential course for work, and she needed some help. Frieda was with us for the day today. So we had a bit of time all together after breakfast, and Ruth then went home when it all began to get a bit manic. After that, we had quite a laidback day with Frieda, who mainly wanted to play with water... a soothing activity for all concerned. This was just as well, as Richard and I both slept badly... we both snore... usually taking turns... so were both awake for long stretches of the night. Early night tonight, I think.