My delight in the last week or so (among many in the garden) has been the tree peony show.

The big white one,the modest yellow one,

paeonia lutea

and the stunning lilac one half open after rain,

and fully open in the late sunlight.

As a water butt postscript, the not entirely successful plumbing arrangements for the greenhouse. As you can see there is no run-off. And yes, I know, there are still no plants to speak of. I have been fully occupied elsewhere, but I spent two hours in there yesterday, playing with seed trays, so hopefully something will emerge in due course.