Unexpected jewels in November

I feel like I should take these pictures with a copy of today’s paper, like a kidnapper in cheap American thriller. Would you believe me if I said that these are all flowers blooming on Remembrance Day, 11 November 2021?

Not abundantly it must be said. But there is something special in that. I appreciate a Jude the Obscure all the more for there only being one of them in a hedge of turning leaves. The sweet peas still turning out petals at the top of the tepee are more exquisite for their loneliness and their hardy determination.

What I do have in abundance are dahlias. They are still going strong and one gorgeous big gold dinnerplate is flowering for the first time this season. It is planted in an odd place under the sweet pea tunnel and I kept accidentally hoeing the new growth off every time it put out shoots. It took until October to get to be an actual plant. Its fresh enthusiasm is a tonic though; all the other plants are twirling and softening and shape shifting with end of season exhaustion. This one is pert and perfect.

Ulnlike me, obviously.