A dragonfly perhaps? Sitting in the shade on my lemon tree that steadfastly refuses to bloom, you are the pale and diaphanous detail that deserves a greeting. Much you care for my greeting! You have your own vital tasks to attend to. You are like the fat white spider who haunts my astonishing geranium. Astonishing because it was a collection of dried-up old sticks in a paper bag in my storage cupboard all winter. Now I can hardly keep up with trimming its crimson flower heads.

I can hardly wait for another visitor to notice this. A hummingbird swoops in now and then, pokes around my window-box, fixes me with a reproachful eye and literally buzzes off. My window box is full of very unsatisfying little flowers. Next time I hope she gets around to my big yellow trumpet blooms.