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Everyday I take my two granddaughters to school. It's a ten minute stretch, walking passed several semi-detached houses with their small front gardens, their low walls, tantalizingly, inviting you to take a closer look. These pocket-size gardens help to make an everyday journey more interesting and provide a good source of conversation between the three of us.

Oh look Granny," said Olivia, the elder of the two,

"I wish we had hanging baskets like those". I wasn't sure if it was the cornucopia-shape baskets, in themselves, that she admired, or the fact, that there was a profusion of pink flowers in every shade of pink, busy-Lizzies, lobelia and petunias, tumbling out over the tops. As most mothers of daughters know, you are on hallowed ground when it comes to pink...... pink bedroom, pink phone, pink bag, pink bike and so quite naturally, pink flowers.
"Maybe next year," I replied, with good intention. Strolling on, we pass a sad, tired little garden, well and truly neglected. There were matted clumps of tall grass that quite obviously hadn't seen a lawn mower in years; the weeds were strong and plentiful, spilling over onto the now narrow, single path, which was cracked and broken. What a shame, I thought to myself, it stands out like a sore thumb, amidst all those other lovely gardens. I certainly wouldn't like to be living next door to all those weeds and I expect the immediate neighbours share my sentiment.

It wasn't until some time later, when passing this garden again, Olivia spouted, quite out of the blue,

"There's a blind lady who lives there, I've seen her with a stick". Suddenly I felt mortified, a feeling of guilt swept over me.

"Oh dear," I replied, trying to find words to negate my previously misguided conjectures, "perhaps you could say hello, next time you see her". Perhaps, I mused, I should be the one, going to school for lessons! I wish I hadn't been so presumptuous.

As we turned the bend, the corner house, with its extra large frontage, drew the children to it, like a magnet. The garden contained an innumerous amount of 'little people', some fishing, some digging, and some just broadly smiling back at us There was a well, complete with water bucket, two bridges and much more. Snow White was there, with her full entourage, as well as Noddy together with Big Ears and of course, Mr.Plodd, the policeman and my favourite. A row of stepping stones led you, round to the other part of the garden, into a shady glen, which was inhabited

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