Rosa versicolour - Rosa mundi - a Gallica rose, widely grown in Provence. It dates back prior to 1600 and possibly named after "Fair Rosamund", the mistress of Henry II (12th C).
I am sure I remember reading somewhere that it was brought back from the Middle East by Crusaders, but this may be pure romance. Anyway, it has a corner in my garden here and is blooming beautifully, despite the constant RAIN.
Work is still in charge of us here, as we do the little jobs outside ready for the photos to be taken this week.
The weekend was a frustrating one. We loaded the car on Friday, ready for a car boot sale Saturday, but woke up to rain. Keith said it was due to clear and by 7 a.m. it had stopped, so - having dragged ourselves out of bed (we just wanted to SLEEP, which always seems to be the case when you HAVE to get up) we set off - a 50 mile round trip as NOTHING here is local, only to find it cancelled due to the weather . . . I should have checked their Facebook page.
On Sunday we were standing at the local Fleamarket (only 10 miles off!) but the building was half-empty as dealers have been deciding to go elsewhere as buying so poor here - folk come through with short arms and deep pockets, and only spend their money unquestioningly on overpriced tea, coffee and cake . . . In fact, the coffee-only stand is no longer there as they deemed it not worthwhile for them! It's been steadily going downhill the last 2 years but the people running it keep putting the entrance price up.
The moment I walked in the building I knew there had been the Young Farmer's show the day before as the building was full of dust from hay and straw - which I am VERY allergic to. I felt my lungs react instantly, but when I questioned the people running it, the woman lied her back teefs out and said there had only been honey and eggs inside the building. Yeah, one heck of an amount of honey and eggs! - and perhaps that was why there were still bits of straw about on the floor and black spray outlines of cattle hooves . . . I sent Keith out to get some strong anti-histamines which are the only things which work for me.
Even so, I knew I was pushing my luck and with the spectre of More Steroids looming, I began to pack up about 2.30 - tbh, there wasn't much point in staying as there were only about a dozen cars in the car park by then.
At 3.10 p.m. I was wrapping up my best china/glass (I took a Botanic Gardens box by mistake and of course, no-one even LOOKED at any of it), a woman who had only just arrived (it's free after 3 p.m.) accosted me because "the Fair was meant to go on until 4 o'clock " - so how dare I pack up early? I told her I was unwell and going home early, so there! What a blardy cheek - we'd been there since 7.30 and she can't be bothered to turn up until 3. Everyone was packing up by then. If she was still there at 4 p.m. she'd have been on her own!
Anyway, we may just draw a line under that Fair for the future - it just isn't worth going there, though we will miss the fellow traders who are good friends of ours.
I spent a very poor night on Sunday, my breathing was bad and I had SUCH a sore back - looks like I shall be back at the Chiropractors this week, if I can get an appt. I can't sit down, which makes life difficult! However, breathing more or less back to normal and steroids still in cupboard . . .
Finally, in the Damson tree (which supports all manner of bird life, winter and summer), is a little Black Cap baby. The parents were fossicking around in the tree for food a week ago, and now here is one of their just-fledged balls of fluff. The orb, by the way, isn't an orb, just dirt on my kitchen window!
