clematis, dry, space

 In a neighbour's garden a newly opened white clematis like fine linen on display.

There have been several showers today, the first after a month of drought. I run out in the rain to see what it is doing for the garden. Under larger plants and shrubs, the soil is still dry, a few inches of powdery dust.

Most morning BBC Radio 4 keeps me company as I go about my chores. At 7.50 there is a slot called Thought for the Day, where people of different religions produce a homily or two. Only one regular contributor offends me, a woman who seems to be very sure that she is right all the time about everything. Her voice  has a confident stridency which persuades me that the best thing to do is switch off  the radio. I think to myself in the silence that follows: too much radio; too little space for calm contemplation. My thought for the day.