Structural

I loved this corner of Benmore Gardens as soon as I saw it today. Much of the wonderful russet colour of past weeks has gone from the background trees, but there was something about the pale ghosts of the foreground leaves on the ground, contrasting with the still-standing heads of tall flowers and the strong browns of the leaf-mould beginning to form between the bushes, something about the very strangeness of it that appealed.

That was taken exactly 12 hours ago. It is now past midnight, and the blue sky and calm air of the morning has given way to torrential rain and an onshore wind. We've just returned from dining with friends in their house on the sea front, and we were soaked just crossing the road to get home in the car of other guests - we'd walked down, for the usual reason.

I don't think much of this photo's content will survive the rain of the next 24 hours ...