I AM soooo fed up with the rain.

It seems such a long and drawn-out winter. For some reason, the winter months have really bothered me more than I can remember any previous years before and I’ve had the winter blues right good and proper.

Yes, Mrs Grumpy is being even worse than usual. It’s the greyness that greets me on a morning – not to mention all the rain and the coldness. Yes, I’m sure you’ve all got the picture. So, I’m sure that you can all imagine just how excited I was when we had a couple of days with the sun shining down on us.

Oh bliss. I awoke to see the sun shining, the birds singing, I felt quite giddy.

The sun always makes me feel different. I wanted to go outside and begin digging back all the dead foliage and the overwhelming urge to start planting was driving me bonkers.

But I can remember hearing my late mum, God bless her.

“Never cast a cloud until May is out.” Which should be Ne’er cast a clout until May is out.

But I knew what she meant. Then the other day I couldn’t hold back any longer and asked my friend if she fancied a run out to a garden centre.

I swear that I was like an excited child in the car. Of course, I had to promise Pete that I would not under any circumstance buy a plant.

Fingers crossed behind my back, I made the promise to look – even sniff – but not buy.

“I know you,” he said. “If I’m not with you, you will go mad and end up coming home with half the garden centre. It’s too early.” He said.

I repeated that I would only look, sniff and not touch, for goodness’ sake he really needs to trust me.

Oh, joy of joy. I can not even begin to tell you how good it was, I didn’t even wait for my friend to get out of the car and off I went.

After all the grey horrible weeks of living in a colourless world – alright, alright I know I’m slightly exaggerating – the best way to explain it to you is that I was like a child let loose in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

I didn’t know where to look first. Pansies, Petunias, Hyacinths and daffodils lined the entrance.

I couldn’t resist sticking my hooter right into them and sniffing up their fragrance. Oh, I was in heaven. Colour was everywhere.

I skipped along to another aisle, singing as I went along, I didn’t care who could hear me, I wasn’t ever going to see them ever again.

But then I must have gotten too giddy because I swear that I have no idea where the trolley came from, but there it was, in my hands.

Maybe some other force had placed it there. Well, it would have been rude to take it back.

I thought about the promise that I had made Pete. Well, for a couple of seconds. Plants just seemed to leap into the trolley and at one point I thought that I was going to have to ask an assistant to hold me back.

I frightened myself with my total lack of self-control, it was quite scary. And that my friends is exactly the line I gave to Pete. “I lost total control; the plants overtook my thoughts and made me buy them. I swear it’s true.”

Did he believe me? I don’t think so, but between us I don’t really care because I am much too flowered up.