The garden gates at Elizabeth Gaskell House are closed at the moment and the garden volunteers are unable to weed, plant, prune or mow. The plants carry on flowering, however. A volunteer whose daily permitted exercise makes possible the taking of photos of the garden has sent evidence that the yellow tulipa sylvestris, the primroses and the snakes-head fritillary are giving their annual show. I am away from Manchester, though not as far away as Margaret Hale's brother was
