Not the Morning I Expected

There I was, all dressed in my warmest clothes, my walking boots and camera were loaded into the car, all ready to drive to Pensthorpe to meet B for a walk...and the car wouldn't start!  B was already en-route, so I had to send an apologetic text.  We called the AA who came and charged the small battery.  Our car is a hybrid and so has a small 12v battery that powers the display and turns the engine, as well as the big battery that is used when the car is driven, (at least I think that's how it works, what goes on under the bonnet is a bit of a mystery to me!).  It was the 12v battery that was flat but it's been in the car for 10 years so I think it's unsurprising that it was getting low.  Anyway, the engine is starting now that it's had a charge and we're having a new battery fitted on Friday.

So instead of a walk, I spent a couple of hours in the garden.  It was pretty cold and necessitated the wearing of two pairs of gardening gloves.   I did a lot off tidying up, removing some remaining dead leaves, cutting back dead stuff and topping my pots with some fresh compost, as well as sweeping out the bin store area.

The photo is just a bit of Photoshop practice.  My Valentine roses are past their best now and have gone 'crepey'. So, I thought I would get one more photo before they went into the garden bin.  I'm not sure I like the finished result that much but it gave me a chance to practice some of the PS skills that I've been trying to learn.  The background texture is a photo of the floor of the ladies loo at East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens.

I've also added a sepia version in extras.