Flars

Have you ever seen such exquisite ranunculus(es/-i)?

Shelley and Wayne de Fleurs handed me a big bunch as I left their house on Thursday night.

It wasn't until I woke up on Friday and saw them in the morning light that I took in their amazingly delicate colours — and then I was late for work as I just had to photograph them.

The petal edges that look as though they've been delicately blanket-stitched.

Lovely from every angle.

And they are growing sweet peas, already over two metres tall and flowering.

That scent - the first lungful takes me straight back to childhood in England, where Grandad used to grow sweetpeas in his garden and on his allotment.

:: A truck took out a powerpole in our street yesterday afternoon. We had no power at home from about 3pm, and when David and our mate Damien left last night to go to the theatre (David is the West Australian's new theatre critic - yay!), I faced a bafflingly quiet evening with no telly or computer.

So I went to bed by candlelight a little after 7pm. I managed to read a few pages of Roddy Parr and was out like the lights by 8pm.

Feeling very very refreshed this morning — more than ready to be off sculpting Christmas angels with Wayne de Fleurs. More on that later.