Drenched foamflower colony; centre Heuchera, foreground New Guinea impatiens

Just as we were on the cusp of taking Jack and Jill out this dark and overcast morning for their first break after awakening, we heard the unmistakable patter of heavy rain breaking on the atmosphere. It was a sudden event; looking out the window a few minutes earlier there was no rain. That poses quite a conundrum. Puppies have an urgent need to relieve themselves as soon after waking from a long night's sleep as can be imagined. With a light rain event we just put rainjackets on them, and even though they detest the inconvenience of the rain, plus the rainjackets, it's a feasible effort.

Jillie hates walking on wet grass. How's that for a fastidious little prima donna? Jackie doesn't much care, like a typical male, but he does prefer not to get drenched, while at the same time not enjoying the discomfort of a plastic rainjacket over his meagre little form. But as luck had it, the rain was over in five minutes and out we went. The skies still heavy with rainclouds, and more quite dark ones beginning to float over the house, but a truce, for a moment.

As soon as we brought them back into the house the heavens opened again. This time more furiously, and for a much greater length of time. Time enough to prepare breakfast and have it in leisure. And once the rain stopped again out we went once again for a leisurely, if sodden walk about, peering at what had transpired in the gardens since the day before.

Columbine

I do so much appreciate the effect of a drenching rain on a garden's denizens. Foliage is decorated with bright silver pearls of raindrops, and their colour is intensified, far brighter, more translucent when wet. Petals of flowers with rain still damp on them accentuate form and beauty. The columbine are now beginning to bloom, along with the Siberian irises. I hardly notice the hanging petals of the bleeding hearts because there are so many of them, and they seem, sad to say, pedestrian; which can also be said for the prevalence of forget-me-nots scattered in the garden.

Ladies Mantle

The hostas show wonderfully well when they're patterned with raindrops, and so too do the Ladies Mantle, with its tendency to take over the garden, self-seeding wherever there's an inch of bare ground, entitling them to take a foot, busily crowding out everything else around, trying to reach maturity.