A gloomy pre-holiday afternoon

Intermittent sunshine and a slight drizzle marked the morning; now, an hour before sunset, it is raining - a mild, almost spring-like rain. Not very cold, but gloomy nevertheless.

A three-week old photograph brings back memories of warmer, sunnier days.

The Penisetum is dead now, as are the Basil, the Coleus, the Calibrachoa and the Blue Star. The Walking Irises are now inside, the Blanket Flower, the Plumbago and the Nicotiana remain outdoors, but they are not quite the same on a gloomy late November day as they were on a sunny early November day.

Making plans for next spring . . .