An Unseasonal Surprise

I was looking up into the quince tree, willing it to drop all its leaves before I return the leafblower I’ve been trialling later this week, when I spotted a flash of purple. Closer inspection revealed a Clematis jackmanii flower – on December 9th! It wasn’t showing its best side for photgraphy, so I gently moved the stem with a cane at which point it dropped one of its petals. Nevertheless, given the gales and some cold nights it’s a pretty amazing sight.