The weather has been so strange in the last few days. You may have seen the post about the walk we did on Saturday, it began in the rain and ended with a wonderful sunset. Then Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were very wet and the wind blew and blew, but it wasn’t cold. Yesterday, Wednesday, was sunny and warm so I was able to work transplanting Stripa tenuissima, Verbena bonarienis and Gaura from where they had seeded themselves to the slope (it is filling up nicely).
Today I woke to clear skies and it was quite warm, then this afternoon as I was driving home the temperature dropped suddenly to 4° C. By the time I arrived home it was raining hard but the sun was still shining – I looked for a rainbow and was rewarded with a rainbow that completely encircled the house, some of the time it was even a double rainbow. What a wonderful gift! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
You can just see my shadow
This last photo you will maybe recognise from my post last week; the same view but in a very different light.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
How wonderful, such moments are to be hoarded against the long dark wet winter ones. Aren’t cameras wonderful!
Cameras are wonderful when you use them to record what you see and want to remember but not when people use them to see the world, I think
That is so true! I remember going on holiday to the Swiss alps one summer, and taking some great photos, but realising I was in danger of missing really experiencing it. Particularly true when you are with other people. Someone constantly searching for the perfect shot makes a lousy companion. On the other hand, sometimes thinking about what is interesting from a photographer’s perspective makes you notice things you would miss, and look at things differently. The frosted compost spill was a case in point for me. A question of balance, I suppose, like so much in life!
Yes, that’s exactly what I meant!
I love rainbows – there is something magical about them. Temperature here in Worcestershire today reach a height of 2 degrees
You’re right, Helen, there is something completely magical about rainbows
Hello Christina,
What a wonderful garden.
And that rainbow makes it even more magical.
Your soil sounds fantastic.
Thank you. I am very lucky with my tuffo soil – it is very free draining and very fertile.
Hi Christina. I had to pop on over and pay you a visit, too. I’m so pleased I did! You have a wonderful garden! Our climate (in the Western Cape of SA) is also Mediterranean and so we are able to grow many of the plants you do.
My garden has a lot of shade and so it’s not suited to sun loving plants in all areas of the garden. We, too, have very hot, dry summers, but because of my trees and all the shade, the garden copes quite well. I also use mulch and bark extensively and have a number of ground cover,s all of which aid with keeping the soil cool and helping to cut back on the ground drying out too rapidly.
I see you have sandy soil in your garden, whereas I live in a clay soil area. Many gardens in the Western Cape are similar to yours (also sandy soil) in that they are planted largely with indigenous species and many plants native to the Mediterranean, so you would probably see lots of similarities.
Thank you for leaving such a lovely message. My soil isn’t exactly sandy but with similar properties to sand. It is tuffo, a kind of volcanic rock that breaks down into fine particles which are free draining on the surface but the rock underneath does hold water. Christina
Veramente incredibile questo arcobaleno! Sembra davvero voler racchiudere la tua casa con il tuo bel giardino, e tutto con quella luce sembra ancora più bello! Penso sia stato un momento bellissimo: grazie per averlo condiviso con noi… 🙂
Grazie, Lidia. Sì, è stato un momento speciale.