BTs: Civilised, Furry, Purple, Old Friends.

We had a wonderful weekend catching up with family, including the new one. The weather allowed us to have Sunday breakfast in the garden, who needs 5 star hotels on Greek Islands?

I've always loved furry plants, (indeed anything except fur coats) how wonderfully adapted they are for predator-protection, insulation and drought-resistance. So tactile and beautiful too.

You can't say that about many of our clothes, although I have a very furry purple mohair cardigan that people can't resist stroking, no other colour provokes the same response.
 "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple..."

Isn't it strange how gardens go through colour stages without any planning, not the inevitable change of leaves, but the flowers.

This week everything seems to be purple too, even our old friend the Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) The Common Twayblade (Neottia ovata) isn't, but such a good one I couldn't leave him out! March it's yellow then blue, there's a pink phase when fuchsias and pinks appear, and again in September when the cyclamens and colchicums appear.