Alexander Residence: Goodnight bulbs, sleep tight

Since we traded our first floor flat in London, for a house with a garden in Nottingham, I have been on a steep learning curve. Fortunately my Dad took on the role of Head Gardener. I cannot be trusted with a houseplant, never mind a whole garden full of specimens. It's no secret in our family that the greenfingered gene, like the map reading gene, bypassed me. Dad is also encouraging a whole new generation of gardeners, Miss L and Mr G are fascinated. They loved their veg patch this summer, especially the peas and strawberries. Digging for potatoes was a huge hit. We thanked Dad with a Jamie Oliver 'Digging for potatoes is always an adventure' tea towel. Mr G loves digging. Even with a bouncy castle in the garden on Miss L's birthday, all he wanted to do was dig. Unfortunately he also likes to transplant the soil across the lawn, so I am trying to encourage him back into the sandpit.

I hate the garden at this time of year, suddenly the place we lived in for the summer is cold, wet, decaying and uninviting. So it was really good to be out there doing something positive today. We rescued the last of the tomatoes, planted some winter lettuce to deter Mr G from digging in the empty raised bed and had a bit of a tidy up. Dad, star that he is, attacked the hedge and the lawn. Then we did my favourite bit, planted some bulbs, a bit of spring promise. Miss L and Dad said goodnight to them, which I thought was very sweet. We drank lots of tea and chatted. The perfect way to spend a day.