And finally...
What is it about the joy of holding a watering can, as opposed to a hosepipe? Well, for a start, watering cans don’t tangle themselves into a knot when you’re not looking, after the fashion of the Christmas fairy lights in the loft. Yes, I know they cannot offer an unending supply of the stuff of life in the same way as a garden hose can, but there is something about a good, wellbalanced watering can that can lift my spirits. I know; I must be a man of simple pleasures, but there we are.
This aquatic love affair has persisted since my childhood days. Who could not be entranced by that delightful watercolour by Beatrix Potter which shows Peter Rabbit’s ears peeping out over the top of that classic galvanised can? It is identical to the one my granddad had on his allotment and which was always parked next to the sunken water tank by the lopsided shed into which he would dip it when ministering to his sweet peas. My grandfather was far more friendly than Mr McGregor, too. Ah yes! It is the Romance of the