All through the wintertime they hid themselves away, ashamed to show their faces, afraid of what others might say… until I found them there and very soon agreed, “Never were such a sorry lot of gnomes in greater need!”

After a while, and a bit of coaxing from shady corners of the garden, the gnomes began to trust me and see that I meant no harm but good; and once they realised that they were not being earmarked for the rubbish dump they began to come out of the woodwork and queue up on the garden table in the hope that I would choose them for a makeover (I think they feared I might get fed up with gnome painting). Even the frogs, toad, chameleon and Harry the plastic heron made their way into the line ~ they didn’t see why they should be discriminated against (must have heard us talking about “Big Brother Brussels”) ~ but they needn’t have worried because I love them all equally.

Today I sent most of the little rascals back into the garden where they are now happy to wait for the promised heatwave next weekend.