There is still very little to pick in the garden here, so I bought a lovely bunch of stocks and tested my new theory that more people speak to you when you are carrying flowers... Two shop assistants, the man selling Big Issue, and best of all an elderly Italian lady who came over to me as I was having coffee and asked did I mind telling her where I got the flowers? We talked about which flowers we love and I offered her them to smell. Ecstasy! (These are the strongest smelling stocks I have ever had.) She asked would I mind if she just took them over for her friends and family at the table behind me to smell - one of them said 'I can smell them from here!' They passed them around with much laughing and sniffing and exclamation and she brought them back to me with effusive thanks.
It made me so happy! I smiled about it every time I thought of it for the rest of the day.
I like to think they did too!
And....