We’ve had a terrible year, so far, for weather. This is England. It’s been unseasonably cold and has done nothing but rain since January. The garden has certainly suffered for it. Though today is dry, the heads of the shrubs are mostly bowed, sodden and heavy with moisture. Further towards the canal, the beautiful cherry trees with their delicate pink blossom have taken a battering from the wind and rain of the last week. But it’s still an idyllic spot.

Before Mum took to her bed, she used to love the garden – though all the hard work was down to my dad. He was the one who made the garden so pretty. This was, once upon a time, a humbly priced family home – until several property booms took it to the realms of astronomical. I feel so fortunate that my parents were able to buy it when they were first married, as I wouldn’t have a hope of living somewhere like this otherwise. And I love it here. Truly I do. This is my family home and is filled with my memories. Call me unadventurous, but this is my own little slice of paradise and I’d never want to live anywhere else.

There’s no denying that I could do with an extra pair of hands to help me maintain it though. It’s an overwhelming amount of work for one person. The high winds we had back in February have brought down several big branches and there are mounds of leaves a foot deep against the boundary walls. Thankfully, the cherry blossoms have survived. If I’m honest though, all the paintwork around the place could do with a freshen-up. In the last few years the house has progressed from charmingly weathered to just plain tatty. Today is the first properly sunny day for absolutely ages, even though it’s still chilly and rain is predicted later, and I’m so glad to be out in the fresh air. Easter is late this year, at the end of April, and we usually fully open the cake shop that weekend. If we want to be ready for then, we need to get a move on.

About the author

About the author

Carole Matthews is a USA Today and Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author whose unique sense of humour has won her legions of fans and critical acclaim internationally. Her book For Better. For Worse was a Reading with Ripa book club choice on Live with Regis and Kelly. She’s published in over 30 countries and received an award for her Outstanding Contribution to Romantic Fiction from the Festival of Romance. Welcome to the Real World and Wrapped Up in You were both short-listed for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists’ Association.