LAST WEEK, I MARRIED A MARTIAN

Last week, I married a Martian.

He's quite handsome really - though he thought it was funny when he examined the globe on my mantle-piece because the north pole was at the top.

It's an ornamental globe but it's got a lot of detail.

He said it was upside down. Then, he said that was a joke and that The Windward Islands should be at the top.

But I didn't know where the Windward Islands are. (I'm not sure I'd even heard of them.) So he showed me. So now I do.

. . . But I'm still not definitely sure that the Windward Islands really are at the top of Martian Maps or whether he's still joking.

Anyway . . . today I planted a hollyhock.

I planted the seed in a clay pot last spring - but the summer was so wet I never got round to planting it out.

Now, it'll have to take its chances, between slugs and frosts.

To help it on its way, I gave it a load of compost. I don't know how much good this will do because our compost is solid brandling worm.

We'll see.

My husband, by the way, is called Ming. (Well, he isn't really - but his Martian name is un-pronouncable and they don't have the same alphabet as us on Mars, so I call him Ming.)

_ _ _ _ _

For Tomorrow

..