What with the virus, the government’s despicable behaviour and now the appalling, devastating news from America – it is difficult to remain calm and sanguine and focus on women writers or artists or any of the usual topics that are the subject of the Post week by week. Quite apart from the huge volume of orders in the shop (more details about this in the Letter later today). The one glorious and indeed great thing in life at the moment is roses! To say that it’s a good year for them is a total understatement. Really we should be doing nothing except basking in their scent and their beauty. But then one remembers how many people are confined to small flats/apartments and don’t have access to outside space and that is deeply sobering. Well, one can dream. This week on the Post: the five best roses for those who either want to dream, get planting or get visiting and admiring (when they are allowed to). This is New Dawn from David Austin. (By the way, a rose is an excellent present and some of them do well on balconies.)