Heat and passion

It's difficult to photograph - or describe - the heat on a day like today. It's the smells rather than the sights which are characteristic of summer in the Midi - the unique distinctive scents of hot vines and strongly aromatic sage leaves. It's not a day to stay outside for long and it was 40 degrees C when we briefly visited the garden. This photo of our passiflora plant and fruit is just as it came out of the camera, except for a little cropping. The light rays, an effect I often try to avoid, seemed the best way of showing the way the sun is bursting into everything today!

This Passiflora edulis (passion flower) produces beautiful flowers and then fruits which are edible, but not as tasty as some other varieties. It provides a lot of useful shade in the garden and is evergreen in the Mediterranean climate.