A devil in the border...

Another rather grey day, with the usual forecast of showers. I finally managed to arrange permission to visit a site in Leicestershire, made up of arable fields, hedges and part of a wood. The hedges were quite species-rich and had many fine old ash trees, but the rest of the site was less than inspiring, especially under steely grey clouds.

On the way home I got stuck in traffic on the A14, following an earlier accident. For a while we were perfectly stationary, presumably while the police moved the affected vehicles. It was actually quite a nice break and I passed the time listening to a very interesting programme about the swimming ponds on Hampstead Heath.

When I arrived back I realised I had no blip, so scoured the garden and found a splash of colour in the emerging buds of Crocosmia 'Lucifer'. I love Crocosmia, but it doesn't really like the dry east of England, much preferring the western half of the country where it's mild and damp. However, this year's wet summer has really suited this plant and it looks like we're going to have a bumper crop of flowers.