The other day I received a gift that enraged my husband. It was a pair of gardening gloves. Colour: shocking pink. Sonia Day is a freelance contributor to the Star.

Gardening doesn’t do the hands any favours. Aside from thorns, sharp twigs and rough bark causing inevitable injury, the worst offender is soil, because it literally draws all moisture out of the skin ...

In general, I am an anti-glove person. I like planting peas with my fingers, placing each seed in the trench, in soil as crumbly as chocolate cake. I also like pruning grapevines. It is much nicer ...