FLOWER FRIDAY - ANY IDEAS - MYSTERY SOLVED!!

When I wandered around the garden a couple of days ago, I saw this beautiful little flower in one of our “holding” beds and decided that it was so pretty that I would leave it until today and then Blip it for today’s Flower Friday challenge.  Not only is the flower unusual, but the leaves are too.  However, despite doing asking Mr. Google, about “mauve flowers with long stamens and fern-like leaves”, he has yet to show me anything like this one.

I am quite knowledgeable about plants, but this one has me stumped - however, I know that my friend, Julia, reads my Blips, so am hopeful that when she sees it, she may be able to tell me what it is, or of course, one of my Blip friends might know. (See below in comments - Shutterup is obviously the person to go to rather than Mr. Google!)

It’s been a day of sunshine and showers today, but I knew that the workmen would be making lots of noise tamping down gravel and sand, so I decided to take myself off to Marlborough on the bus.  I had a very pleasant time and bought myself a new handbag and two new tops - mainly because since I have now lost 2 stone, all my tops are very big.  My trousers are also very big, as are my shoes (whoever knew that losing weight meant your feet got smaller too?) but with a belt round them, they do stay up, so I will have to wait for another day to treat myself to new trousers!

Thank you for all your kind comments about Fiona and Lainey yesterday - I apologise for not commenting but after I had cooked our meal, we had our Church AGM to go to and when I got home at 9.30, I went straight to bed.  Thankfully, I don’t have any problems sleeping, but Gary, the boss, has just told us that he will be coming tomorrow to start the block paving, so guess that means no lie-in for us!  

“Flowers don’t worry about 
      how they’re going to bloom; 
          they just open up,
               turn toward the light and 
                    that makes them beautiful.” 
Jim Carrey

P.S.  We bought a couple of packets of these Phacelia two years ago, and sprinkled them on our raised beds, but they have never flowered to my knowledge, probably because Mr. HCB dug them in, as you are supposed to do with green manure!  Thank you so much, Shutterup - you have saved me a sleepless night!