And as I have so many bulbs that urgently need planting, they've come in jolly useful.

All my daffs should be in by now but have been sitting on the shelves in the shed waiting for me to remember them.

There's also some new tulips I have planned for pots, including the short red 'Pandour,' red and yellow 'Queen Ingrid' and the more statuesque 'Shirley,' white edged with pinky purple.

As well as the usual fighting with the bulb planter in compacted soil to get bulbs into holes in the border, I also needed all my pots emptying and filling for spring.

No sooner had I mentioned to the boys the bulbs needed planting, than they were out in the garden, emptying pots whose bedding had been shrivelled by frost and rummaging through the assorted beasties they found scrurring around the bottoms.

Whereas usually their entertainment needs would have solely involved the creepy crawlies, this week they were happy to get stuck in with the planting.

"Don't touch the soil, you haven't got gloves on!" shrieked middle son Dougie at me when I tried to help fill containers with compost.

Meanwhile, eldest son had set a cordon up around some cat poo on the lawn "for dad to get rid of".

This concern has all come about because I told them that I had to wear gloves to avoid toxoplasmosis, a cat-yuk-borne disease that can affect unborn babies and is transmitted through soil.

So between them they emptied the pots, filled them with bulbs and compost (some were upside down, you have to keep an eye), and moved them out of the way. Little Dougie even swept the patio where they'd spilled all the compost.

I'm now wondering what other conditions I can invent to get help around the house The vacuum mite? Dishwasher sickness? The pick-your-dirty-pants-off-the-floor bug? It might work...


Thanks for Terrex help
Thanks to all of you who so generously offered up Terrex 'autospades' last week after my appeal for one to help with digging while I'm pregnant.

I collected one which is now waiting for its first expedition to the allotment once the ground is less solid from the sharp frosts.

I may have a fight on my hands however, because now the boys have spotted a new gadget, naturally they want to have a go! The older two especially like nothing more than to dig holes, and the grave-sized crater at my alloptment shows. I need to channel this into a more useful skill.

I'd hate to think of useful garden tools like the Terrex rusting away in sheds, so if you'd like to give/sell yours to other gardeners in need, let me know via the usual addresses and I'll pass on the contact details.