Friday 15 July 1664  huge blog about business. how on earth he copes with his business interests is beyond me. Maybe his diary helps him! It certainly acts as a mental stabiliser in my case. Writing the diary is now part of my end of day routine. I am now up to my 186th entry and I’ve only been going since February  this year.

I to my chamber to sing, which we did very pleasantly, and then to my office again, where very late and so home, with my mind I bless God in good state of ease and body of health, only my head at this juncture very full of business, how to get something.

I could almost describe Samuel Pepys as a rough diamond in many aspects but when someone says “with my mind I bless God in a good state of ease and body of health” I do think he has  a sound core of being.

Today is Sunday, a day of finals. Lewis Hamilton won the formula F1 and surprise surprise Roger Federer his 8th Wimbledon. He has earnt $100 million through participation in 93 tournaments. I happily set my video while I went out with my customer to the locally famous Rocky Mountain Nurseries and it is about this that I wish to write today.

The only thing that prevents my wife from buying  more plants is the fact that the garden absolutely full with no more space to plant anything. We are already overcrowded and this trend shows no signs of reversing. Garden Centres are an important part of the lungs be it of a city or the country. They are a place for a day out when you can have a cup of coffee in a cafe and then browse plants to your hearts content. People underestimate the ability of the centres to provide good advice and it is always worth seeking out a person who is skilled in your area of interest. It is very easy to spend far more than you intended. Key to me  is the attitude of the staff. Today there was a member of staff went around smiling and joking with everybody. He obviously loved his job and you get the feel you can ask him anything.

Here are a few pictures to celebrate a lovely afternoon

this is a rather nice way of making the point

pile them up, go away and buy some more things and add to the pile

images are used to create emotional states of mind to great effect. I think the poster could have been a bit bigger though

graphics are good but this one is a bit confusing a bit like something being cut in half with a red hot bar

non emotional factual message does the job

queuing to pay. They have a very flexible returns policy which encourages me to buy more