1) For the sun to come out after several days of rain.

2) The kids were over-the-moon to visit their friends again – they’ve been away on holiday and we hadn’t seen them in over a month.

3a) So a couple of years ago, I showed you my little umbrella tree – I’ve had this plant since my university days, but it had got a bit unwell so we had to drastically cut it back. Since then, it’s gone from strength to strength – you can see how it looked last year here, and now just look at it – I think it’s about to take over the house or, at the very least, the dining room!

3b) To realise that, just a few short weeks ago, this beautiful fuschia was just a few dead-looking twigs…