Two Minutes of Silence

I transplanted a few Heuchera from the back garden to the front bed this morning. We've had a break in the weather so that even though we have bright sun and blue skies, it is cloudier, the temperature has dropped by about 10 degrees, and there is a cooling breeze. Then I tried experimenting with a masonry project. The bricks leftover from our renovations (ones that were uplifted from part of the patio and the original front walkway) are all stacked beside our garage. The stack is about 8 bricks deep and stands about 4 feet high, so we're talking lots of bricks. We need a barrier to keep the water (right now it's mud) from running off the flower bed and across the low parts of the new brick pathway when we water. I thought it made sense to do a herringbone brick border/barrier along the edge of the new front bed before we lay down mulch. (Eight big bags of mulch were delivered yesterday by John and Elaine Davidson from the Heather Centre Plant Nursery down the road from us.) Anyway, I made a start and think it will work although it is going to be slow-going and hard work.

The photo today is of the hanging basket we bought at Dobbie's Garden Centre outside of Perth about a month ago. It is hanging in our patio area on the edge of the utility room wall. It is doing really well and is so cheery to look at.

On a somber note, it is just a few minutes after midday. At noon, on all BBC stations, there was a tolling of the hour and then an observance of 2 minutes of silence in remembrance of those who lost their lives or were injured in the London bombings a year ago. This morning's news reports brought a warning by the London Police Commissioner that Londoners must expect further attacks. He reminded the public that the police will do all in their power to stop them and that they have foiled three such attacks over the past year. The Chief Constable of the West Yorkshire police force, the area where the bombers came from, said that it is likely other such attacks will occur. Everything I read in our newspapers about the radical Muslim population in the UK convinces me these warnings are spot-on. We feel relatively safe up here in the rural parts of Scotland but that isn't to say Scotland is free of sympathisers with the extreme viewpoint. It's just that they mainly live in the cities where the mosques are located.

On a lighter note, we learned from Elaine Davidson (a top-notch golfer with a 10 handicap) yesterday that Comrie youngster, Carly Booth, a 14-year-old girl golfer (with a +1 handicap!) is about to move to Orlando for further education and training. We've been reading about her championship wins since she was 12. Make a note of the name; we have a feeling you will be hearing about her in the not-too-distant future. And will the TV commentators say that she's from Comrie, Scotland? My guess is that "a small town near Edinburgh" is as close as we'll get to a mention. But if anyone can put Comrie on the map, Carly can.