TIS THE VOICE OF THE SLUGGARD...

I am a sucker for pretty packaging, especially when it is recyclable.

I spent a happy morning in the garden - digging over a veg bed, extending a path and sowing tomato seeds. I was pleased to find last year's chard had overwintered and is sending up fresh, tender shoots. But mostly the garden reminds me of The Sluggard's:

I passed by his garden, and saw the wild brier,
The thorn, and the thistle grow broader and higher:

Although I confess I like the Lewis Carrol version better:

'Tis the voice of the Lobster: I heard him declare
"You have baked me too brown, I must sugar my hair."
As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose
Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns out his toes.

When the sands are all dry, he is gay as a lark,
And will talk in contemptuous tones of the Shark;
But, when the tide rises and sharks are around,
His voice has a timid and tremulous sound.

I passed by his garden, and marked, with one eye,
How the Owl and the Panther were sharing a pie:
The Panther took pie-crust, and gravy, and meat,
While the Owl had the dish as its share of the treat.

When the pie was all finished, the Owl, as a boon,
Was kindly permitted to pocket the spoon;
While the Panther received knife and fork with a growl,
And concluded the banquet by ---