‘Many a Flower.............’

I almost didn’t see this tiny cyclamen struggling in an untidy border at the side of the Dower House.
That verse of Thomas Gray’s Elegy in a Country Graveyard: ‘Full many a flower is born to bloom unseen, and waste its freshness on the desert air’ sprang to mind as I wondered how on earth it got there.
Despite the border not being my responsibility, I did once plant some crocus bulbs in it but over the years the squirrels annihilated them. It would be lovely if they and the rabbits leave the cyclamen alone.

So insular are His Lordship and I generally that the influx of family this weekend and friends next week has me all in a fluster with many lists being made to help me get organised.
I do like making lists, always with pencil and paper, never on electronic gadgets. Speaking of the latter, someone from BT phoned this morning from India about our Internet and I couldn’t for the life of me understand his accent so I never found out what the problem was, if indeed there was one, as I put the receiver down in despair and not a little anger at being put in an awkward situation of not understanding one word he said.
I hope it wasn’t important. If it were, then BT might see fit to send me a letter which I’m almost sure to understand.