Cromwell, thou shouldst be living at this hour

Coronavirus advice | Sharing a bathroom | Hilary Mantel and the plague | Gentlemanly behaviour | The human virus

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Three men don’t go into a pub. The prime minister says: “Only key workers should be travelling and they must be protected.” The health secretary says: “To be protected, people should stay at least two metres apart.” The transport secretary says: “Why don’t we cancel lots of trains and tubes so that people have to sit closer together?” Is this some kind of joke?
Chris Burrell
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

• Yet again we are told that people with coronavirus shouldn’t share a bathroom with other family members ( Coronavirus dos and don’ts: UK advice on behaving responsibly, 22 March). You do know that there are houses and flats in this country that have only one bathroom, don’t you? My husband and I live in one, and would invite a journalist to visit this quaint living arrangement if we weren’t practising social distancing.
Lynn Fotheringham
Over Kellet, Lancashire

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Can I get a refund on stamp duty, which I've paid twice?

My wife and I have split up and I agreed to buy out her half of the flat we bought together

Q In September 2017 my wife and I bought a flat in joint names as our permanent home and paid stamp duty. We have now separated and as part of our separation agreement, I paid her a sum of £250,000 for her half share of the flat in order to get full title of the property. I paid £2,500 in stamp duty so that means that stamp duty has been paid twice on this property. Is it possible to get this sum refunded?
MH

A It should be possible to get a refund of the second lot stamp duty land tax (SDLT) you have paid because you shouldn’t have been charged it in the first place. In the words of HM Revenue & Customs: “If you” – or in your case, your ex-wife – “transfer an interest in land or property to your partner as part of an agreement or court order because you are either divorcing or dissolving a civil partnership, you don’t pay SDLT.” And “in these cases there’s no need to tell HMRC about the transfer even if the value is more than the SDLT threshold” of £125,000.

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A guide to buying commercial property Nottingham Estate Agents

Are you thinking about moving your business? OnTheMarket reveals 10 factors to consider when buying commercial property Buying commercial property can be a sensible option for those who run a small or medium-sized business. In fact, at a time when other types of property investment, such as the buy-to-let sector, are looking less attractive than […]

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How to make spring flowers last long into summer

The appearance of spring flowers means it’s time to plant for early summer. Orchids and lilies are a great place to start

Each year when the first spring bulbs start to come into their own, I take it as a seasonal cue to start planting their summer successors, it’s like planning what you fancy for dessert halfway through a slap-up lunch. As I sit looking out at a cloud of perfect magnolia blossom, here’s the list I am drawing up for the months to come…

Here in the UK, we don’t tend to think of orchids as outdoor plants. However, there are a range of perfectly hardy species that offer up good early summer interest. I love Bletilla striata alba for its delicate white blooms. These woodland plants thrive in deep, rich soil in dappled shade, but will fare well too with their heads in the sun, but feet in the shade.

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How to make spring flowers last long into summer

The appearance of spring flowers means it’s time to plant for early summer. Orchids and lilies are a great place to start

Each year when the first spring bulbs start to come into their own, I take it as a seasonal cue to start planting their summer successors, it’s like planning what you fancy for dessert halfway through a slap-up lunch. As I sit looking out at a cloud of perfect magnolia blossom, here’s the list I am drawing up for the months to come…

Here in the UK, we don’t tend to think of orchids as outdoor plants. However, there are a range of perfectly hardy species that offer up good early summer interest. I love Bletilla striata alba for its delicate white blooms. These woodland plants thrive in deep, rich soil in dappled shade, but will fare well too with their heads in the sun, but feet in the shade.

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Early primroses come with memories of love and mothers

We’re past the equinox, a time to look ahead to new blooms, as well as back to treasured memories

We’re there. Winter’s over: we passed the vernal equinox – 3.40am, Friday 20 March – when daylight wins over darkness. When spring and seeds and hopes for the year are safely unleashed. When most gardeners start trickling back.

Today is also Mothering Sunday. For many it’s a day to look back as well as forward. For me, it means primroses. One of the few days when Lilian would go to church, with many other mums, to be given flowers picked by the village school kids. My reluctant brother and me draped in cassocks and surplices in the choir. Devon hedgerows in the 60s were awash with primrose, so everyone picked them for Mother’s Day, encouraged by their teachers. A lot less likely now, I think.

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