'Full Many a Flower is born....

to blush unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air'.

Apart from the rose bush and the pansies, this little flower is doing its best to brighten the garden at the moment.

Having spent an unaccustomed amount of time spit and polishing the castle for the influx tonight of my fellow book groupers, I had thought my reward was to sit in the garden this afternoon with the sun and my book.
Alas it wasn't to be. The sun disappeared along with my duster, the clouds gathered and the outdoor incentive vanished.
Instead I am sitting inside in the oh so polished castle, amongst the plumped up cushions trying to finish tonight's book and blipping today's entry.

Once more I find the chosen book interminable and, to me, uninteresting.
Disconcertingly it's author Barbara Kingsolver has just been awarded the Orange fiction prize for it. As a group we read the Poisonwood Bible by her several years ago and loved it, but this one- The Lacuna- leaves me unmoved. It revolves about Frida Kahlo, Trotsky, Diego Riveira and the McCarthy witch hunt for communists in America in the 50's. It may be that after our discussion tonight, other members views may change my mind. It can happen.

I have inspected the cake, piled on the raspberries to camouflage the dip in the centre, bought the accompaniment of Greek yoghurt and crossed my fingers.
I have some banana cake waiting in the wings if necessary.