A couple of patches of Lily of the Valley in the garden have struggled on, through wind, rain and the occasional house painter's ladder.  The original clump came from my parents' garden up in East Yorkshire and whenever I catch the scent of these sweet little flowers, the inevitable memories spring into my mind.  I love them and can never believe how such a tiny flower can exude such a rich and heady scent.

 

 

There weren't enough of them to fill a second vase though, so I cut a few of these blue cornflowers too. 

 

 

Thinking I'd take a second photograph on a non-reflective background, I was surprised at the difference in the intensity of the dark purple in particular.  Dear me, this photography lark demands a great deal of thought, doesn't it!?

 

 

Earlier in the day, stopping by the supermarket to buy milk, I caught the spicy scent of the first of the stocks and couldn't resist buying a bunch.  When I got them home, though, I found there were four stems in the package - so my vase has either a clump of flowers to one side, or "one in each corner".

How strange to package flowers in a bunch of four.