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
WOW! You’ve been busy Cinnamon,
I read The Fifth Season trilogy by by N. K. Jemisin. Actually called the Broken Earth trilogy but no one I spoke to calls it that. So satisfying.
Love the rose colour, copper-y?
Portia xx
One rose in back definitely changes color and I have NO idea why. It’s coming up paler this year … just finished Percival Everett’s James (which was fine) and have given up on Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Dept. Q, man they are DARK, can’t do it. For a lovely quick read: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, centered around a book shop. Mostly I’m thrilled it’s actually SUMMER and I can go out and be in my garden.
The colour change thing is fascinating. I know you can change hydrangeas by using aspirin in their water (where the blue apparently comes from). Book shop book sounds interesting. Will have a look.
Epsom salts changes hydrangea color as well.
Does epsom salt change it to pink? I always heard that adding something acid, which aspirin is, would change hydrangeas to blue and something alkaline, such as epsom salts would change them to pink.
I second the Fikry recommendation. March reminded me of it, I walked down to the li-berry and read it in one sitting. It’s charming, with a nod to ’A Man Called Ove’
Best of luck with the braces! Make sure they give you the little tiny carrying case of wax that you can mold around any ouchy bits that are making your inner cheeks tender. Your flowers are looking great! We’ve had a ton of rain, so my backyard is a jungle that needs weeding. I’ve recently read the first two books in an outstanding series of historical mysteries set in 1920s India. They star a young woman who is Bombay’s first female lawyer, so she can talk to women in purdah (behind the veil). They’re extensively researched and full of vivid details about food, clothing, architecture, perfume, etc. Written by Sujata Massey. I felt like I had taken a trip to India after reading these, and I want to read more.
Thanks. They gave me a kit which includes those wax strips. I remain perplexed about the rose colour. I wonder if planting with the marigolds might have caused the colour change. Making a note of that series.
Sometimes plant hybrids don’t stay true to color or other physical characteristics. It happens a lot with hybrid daylilies. They like to revert back to their original orange shades.
I really liked Sujata Massey’s Rei Shimura mysteries, set in Japan – I need to pick up the latest series, it sounds great! Really enjoyed how she blended the cultural intricacies with the mysteries in the former series.
Are the poppy & rose near each other? The colours would really pop.
I’m reading about the Duke & Duchess of Windsor & watching stuff about Megxit. The royals & their flunkies really haven’t learnt a thing in the last century!
I’ve got the latest S.J. Parris book to read whilst we’re away this week.
Nope, not near each other. all the roses are divided by other things (red and yellow by the fig, sunflower and the underperforming jasmine). Have a lovely holiday.
I’m going to read some Ronald Firbank as soon as it arrives because I never did. For trash I’m reading a sequel/prequel to Rebecca that I’d never heard of and rereading Ira Levin’s Sliver, which has an ending that’s even sillier than the one they cut from the movie (and the one that replaced it)
That rose is absolutely lovely..
I tried reading Rebecca and could never get past the first few pages. Went to secondary school with Ira Levin’s kid. He was very sweet. Much nicer than Matthew Broderick, who was a jerk.