On the weekend I made the most of the lovely weather and took a few photos. Looking at them now, it's hard to believe how hot it was then. Now I am sitting here, wrapped up in a cardigan and outside it's just the usual rain and white skies....
This little flower, the Toadflax grows on walls, in tubs etc and is usually considered a weed. But look at it closely and it's like a miniature pansy or viola, no wonder people thought of it as a fairy flower! But the name, may of course mean something else entirely. 'Toad' could be a corruption of the germanic word 'Tod' which means death. So 'Toadstool' is sometimes thought to mean 'Tod Stuhl' i.e. the seat of death.
Now for something a little less sinister: 
This lovely jasmine grows around the arch in my garden. When it is finished flowering, the wild roses will be just about ready to bloom.
Our dogs are relieved the hot weather is over, because none of them liked it very much. Only Homer likes to lie in the sun so when I was taking photos he was out in the garden with me, looking photogenic...
Here you can see him striding purposefully towards me.... and in the following photo you can see him at his most cajoling....
Happy days!
2008-05-16 @ 11:52