Echinops

By visiting my mother, I end up knowing the names of more plants in our garden - this one, Echinops,  is a type of globe thistle and impresses with its delicacy when seen close-up.
Today of course being in France I had to watch the World Cup final ad it was a half decent game. I, surprisingly, ended up feeling a bit sorry for the Croatians, having possibly got the wrong end of the whistle a few times. Much celebration I am sure in France, I had to content myself with my neighbour coming around and talking about it.