‘They breed them tough here'

The horses from down south are shivering, but the lockdown veg patch is flourishing, says Tessa Waugh, pondering if she should have been more honest with a friend seeking their first hound puppy

I WONDER what will stick in our minds when we look back on this year? It would be nice to think that we had used the time productively: taught a hunter to do a dressage test, established a vegetable garden, got seriously fit rather than simply “ate cake”, did more tidying, and rediscovered my natural hair color after 30 years of highlighting.

Jim is on holiday, so the dressage hasn’t happened, but I have made a start with the veg; two courgette plants and a couple of squash have survived my ham-fisted repotting technique and erratic watering. If they produce actual vegetables I will be amazed.