Flower Friday : : Osmanthus Fragrans

The weather has been dramatic today, ranging from rain that was so hard and loud that I looked around to see what could be causing that noise, to brilliant sunshine and blue sky then back to rain again. Impossible to figure out how to rush Ozzie through his walk without getting wet. After consulting his weather app on his phone for about hand an hour he suddenly stood up and sallied forth. They both came back about fifteen minutes later soaking.

The world takes on a particular beauty when the sun comes out after rain and we are being treated to that several times a day. The water drips off the edge of the roof in evenly spaced droplets as if they had been carefully placed there by an unseen hand. The moss on the twisty oak branches is bright green and the thrushes and sparrows pick through the rosemary trailing over the back wall looking for seeds. Today there were crows swooping down on the bird feeders, clearing them of birds without stopping. The sound of the creek across the street, suddenly transformed into a muddy debris filled torrent, provides the musical backdrop.

The Osmanthus growing behind our covered porch seems to thrive on neglect, and bursts into beautiful white clusters of tiny flowers which contrast nicely with spring red stems and glossy green leaves.Each little flower begins life as a tiny white ball, some of which can be seen in this shot. I have identified ours as 'Fragrans' although I find its fragrance to be the least of its charms….

Many thanks to Biker Bear for hosting.