A yelp of astonishment in the front garden yesterday. I wonder if the flowers were startled by my exclamation of delight. The winter jasmine has started to bloom! In mid-October!! The first year, November 11 was when I noticed the first blossoms; last year it was early November. And there will continue to be more and more of these bright yellow stars across the ‘winter’ until the front of house is a mass of brilliance. Come February they will start to lose their glow but take their time about diminishing. I can’t think of a plant that is more giving over such a period of time. Excuse me, I’ve got to go out and spend some time in silent, or perhaps not so silent, admiration.