Still life

I was saved from having to decide whether to woman up and drag my aching legs round Draycote Water, or admit to being a wimp and stay at home, by the weather taking a dramatic turn for the worse. It has heaved down for most of the day, and though this usually makes me very grumpy, today I was quietly relieved. R and I did venture to Stratford for lunch and some shopping this afternoon, but otherwise it's been a day for staying in and doing desky things like filing.

I was then saved from having to post a photo of a bank statement by the tulips I bought yesterday en route to Croome. They're not the best, but they are the first of the year, and as R said when he saw me filling the tulip vase, they're a welcome promise of spring. The other significant item in this still life is the Imari bowl that my sister and I gave to our parents to mark their 50th wedding anniversary - such a long time ago now that I can look at it with affectionate nostalgia rather then with sadness. The ginger jar lamp was bought on the King's Road in Chelsea when we lived in London, and the ceramic balls came much more recently from one of my favourite shops in Broadway.