Watching

I'm watching the thermometer again. It's a crazy business, trying to cool the house as much as possible overnight and then locking in the coolness by shutting the windows and curtains. The forecast is for a whole week of temperatures in excess of 30C. Not long ago those who enjoy it would go to Spain for a week of more than 30C. Not necessary any more. The annoying thing is that it makes anything that requires exertion difficult.

The blip for Tiny Tuesday is a photograph of a metal forget-me-not that I have in my garden (the only flower left, now). A few months ago Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham wrote to ask me if I would sponsor a forget-me-not, dedicated to a person or persons of my choice. I could hardly say no as a few months after my father died (some thirty years ago) forget-me-nots started growing in my mother's garden. There had never been any in the garden before, so my mother decided that my father had sent them as a reminder from beyond the grave. After that they were a permanent feature of her garden and my mother had an emotional attachment to them until the day she died.

So I sponsored a flower in their memory. The flowers went on display at the local National Trust property, Erddig Hall, in June and by a fortunate coincidence they were available for collection during my recent trip. The metal flower is now brightening my otherwise scorched garden as well as being a permanent reminder of the forget-me-not story. And, of course providing a little bit of support for Nightingale House which was my mother's favourite charity.