Yesterday's rain was so constantly overwhelming there simply was no opportunity to get out and enjoy the out-of-doors. It was as though some giant hand had overturned a bathtub-full of water onto a miniature landscape, inundating it and repeating the exercise time and again. There was no let-up.
When we did the shopping I took along a few clean garbage bags to cover the entire shopping cart at the supermarket, so that our groceries would remain dry, being wheeled out to the car.

The rain continued well into the night. But there's something comforting and enjoyable about such a rain event, particularly accompanied by thunder and lightning when one is snug and dry at home. Perfect time to indulge in reading. When we awoke this morning everything was beyond being drenched. Many of the flowers in the garden were beyond rescue, but many others will recover. The plants themselves loved it. And the colours seem brighter, more luminescent, and the sight of translucent pearls of water on all the foliage was superb.

Even though the clouds seemed to cover most of the sky, and many of the clouds were that threatening dark grey tinged with purple-black, the sun managed to come out for prolonged periods, urging us to embark on one of our regular daily ravine walks. When we arrived back home, we did some garden work, just snipping here and there to make things brightly-neat.

And then we went off briefly, to look at what one of the garden centres had on offer; this late in the planting season many things are usually on sale. We came home with another herb melange to augment what we already have; parsley, rosemary, basil and oregano. Three more dracaena spears to plop into the centre of a few garden pots. A small flat of begonias and another of trailing petunias, and a large tomato plant which will make the third we've got -- and finally -- a mature pot of a new hosta, called "Guacamole".

I've indulged in planting the dracaena, the tomato vine, and have set the new herb pot on the side steps beside the laundry room off the kitchen for easy access. The rest can wait until I carefully consider where I want them to be situated to best advantage.