first pick

These brilliant zinnias came from our own garden, the seeds having been planted by our gardener shortly before we arrived. The new little circle garden is also alive with beautiful butterflies ~ a bright orange-red species and a stunning yellow and black striped and stippled variety. They're probably laying eggs all over the flowers which will eventually turn into worms that will eat everything in sight, but for now it's beautiful. We also planted some Mexican Sunflowers today that were started from seed when we got here. They should be blooming in a couple of weeks. Neno transplanted three big bougainvilleas from a friend's yard into ours. We'll see how they fare. It always makes me crazy to see the sorely neglected, un-pruned, un-watered bougainvilleas thriving and in full, glorious bloom along the highway. And we tend to ours so diligently and have to coax and wheedle into life every single bloom and leaf. T'ain't fair! On the other hand, the zinnias DO look lovely.

Yesterday's opera was gorgeous and ended as usual with Tosca hurling herself off the turret while the evil Scarpia lies dead in the next room. And good riddance to him, I say! Then a quick game of dominoes which I lost pitiously, but it's just a game, right?

Today we celebrated 48 years of wedded bliss with a lovely breakfast cooked by Mr. C and served on the front balcony overlooking the sparkling Pacific. Life is good.