Magnoliafest

On this last, glorious day of the absurdly mild false spring, I felt I was living in summer. For a start, even though the clocks have gone back, the sun woke me far too early - or rather, a magnificent pink pre-sunrise sky that I was too sleepy to get up and photograph. I was able to go out to Pilates with only a fleece cardi over my t-shirt and leggings, to stand in the sunshine waiting for my lift without any fear of hypothermia. Afterwards, I sat in the garden with my coffee, and later, having changed into shorts - shorts! - I had my lunch there too, sitting reading the paper with my sunhat on while Himself entertained the organ-installer in the church (he was fixing the lid). No guilt: sun is given to us at this time of year as a bonus which it would be churlish to ignore.

And then we just had to visit Benmore Gardens to see the magnolias.I mean, we can't let Edinburgh plants have all the glory, and I'd noticed the first pink blobs through the Benmore trees last week. They are so tall that it's actually quite hard to give a true impression of them in a photo, but this view of two of the biggest against the Stratheck hills gives some idea of their splendour. We had another encounter with a little deer - from other photos on Facebook I think it must be a year or so old - in the same place as last week, and there was a woodpecker drumming away on the slopes below us. I came upon a fulsome pink rhododendron bush absolutely alive with bees - what do bees do in a sudden cold spell? There are so many of them about suddenly.

The evening was enlivened by the realisation that I have developed a hideously painful middle toe. I'm not sure what ails it, but it's blown up quite a bit through the last few hours and is now making walking quite difficult. I shall see what a bath does to it ...

Such glamour!

Extra photo of the goodies showered on me by my boys yesterday - minus the champagne: it's in the fridge already!