We had an epic rainstorm yesterday. And I do mean epic. The road outside the house was a river. All ended by around 7 in the evening and today is glorious.
Tomorrow is day 1 of braces – ie, the railroad tracks get installed on the lower teeth. And then a load of errands, including perfume, to distract from however weird the mouth feels.
Here is this year’s self-seeded poppy. I have never had a burgundy/claret flower.
I need to remove the two remaining columbines as the plants are not happy. I will grow from seed next year and see if they take. The new rose is performing (see below). As are its protector marigolds. But it’s not the colour I was expecting. Still, such surprises are nice. The sunflower is doing well, the nasturtiums at the back are fine, but the ones at the front got a load of black fly and have gone goodbye.
I picked out new frames for the new glasses and while the cost for those and the new lenses in my prescription sunglasses was as I expected, it was still a bit of a shock.
What I have been/am reading at this point in the year.
I read historian Timothy Snyder’s book on his experiences in various health care systems, Our Malady. Which was very good. If a bit harrowing. I’m now almost finished with his book on the Holocaust, Black Earth. It’s a very different take and I have learned a lot.
I read the latest John Connolly in his Charlie Parker series, The Children of Eve. As ever, really well written and very strange. He continues to excel with these books. And it’s always great when Louis and Angel, Parker’s longtime friends, show up a lot.
I also did Robert Crais’ most recent Cole and Pike which was … good but disappointingly short. So, not enough story to be satisfying. Don’t understand why he did that. And not enough Los Angeles which is one of the best things about this series.
Finally, I very slowly (because it was so good) worked my way through Mary Jane (by Jessica Anya Blau), a YA coming of age novel set mostly in Baltimore in the 1970s. I can’t recall where I saw this recommended but, boy, is it worth the time.
So, how about you? Read anything worth recommending? Or shows, films, podcasts (I started listening to the podcast my French teacher recommended, innerFrench)?
Pics: mine and Pexels