Roadside tulip

After lunch, I walked to the post box, the one in the centre of the village which has an afternoon collection, to post a birthday card. It was a delight just to walk along the road, past all kinds of blossom and new leaves, in beautiful, warm sun. I was spoiled for choice today, but I think the glorious, exuberant shape and colour of this large tulip in the border beside the road, outside a neighbour's house, is my favourite. I looked out for "happy accidents" for Abstract Thursday, but the only one that leapt at me as I left the house is just an accident: the birds have been practising abstract art on the car again. This, being in rather poor taste, has been relegated to an extra.

I had coffee on the balcony again too, and wrote the longest message I could fit in the birthday card in beautiful sunshine. It won't surprise anyone I follow that most of my correspondence begins with apologies for not having been in touch for so long, but I've always liked writing letters, and do still hand write a few. On such a beautiful day, all the jobs were pleasures - hanging laundry outside, preparing a big box of chard and a bunch of lovage for lunchtime soup and the freezer, and sorting piles of pots and seed trays as I cleared things out of the second greenhouse in preparation for cleaning and tomatoes.