Phlox, Weird Webs and the Moths Take Over

These little darlings sprouted from phlox seed a few months ago and are finally blooming happily in the flower bed in front of the patio.

Pastel pink and purple flowers featured on the seed packet, but it looks like I got the loud crowd.

Busy bees having daily nasturtium parties.

Only this week have I noticed when walking through the garden beneath the shade of the huge mahogany tree hundreds of tiny moths scatter like snowflakes in every direction - the underside of their wings is pale. This guy is easy to spot.

This one maybe less so, in fact there are two in this photo.

An intriguing web!

The pestilence of September wind and mahogany buds blowing all about and covering the pool - kinda pretty viewed up close.

Pretty Little Snaps in Italy - Part 2

The Tuscan countryside really is as gorgeous as it looks in movies - just rolling hills of vineyards, olive trees and farmland.

These tenacious little flowers were popping up atop the wall of a medieval fort.

We had a wonderful afternoon sampling wine, olive oil, truffle oil (not really my thing that), and balsamic vinegar that was aged twelve and twenty years - amazingly soft on the palate.

On the only full day we had in Venice, she showed us her stormy side - this whopper blew up around nine in the morning and it pelted down practically non-stop until midnight!

Within minutes of seeing the bank of grey clouds on the horizon, the tempest was upon us.

Oleander flowers seem to be extremely popular in Italy - we saw them in every city - their fragile beauty belying their poisonous nature :)