Some places almost never see light and this is one of them. It’s a south-facing wall but it’s only three feet away from a much bigger north facing wall that blocks light from this area for most of the year. For a few fleeting moments in the life of the wall (which is, by the way, two hundred years old), when the sun is high in the sky and its setting point is towards its maximum north-westerly point, in the late afternoon, the sunlight sneaks round the building and illuminates the wall and the things that inhabit it. I suppose it happens for a couple of hours a day for maybe three months of the year and of course that’s only if there is any sun!

For the rest of the year, the wall is in the dark and it’s damp so the resilience of these Welsh poppies always amazes and delights me. They are endemic to these parts and have a reputation for growing in dark, rocky vertical structures so walls are a common habitat. I love that I know how things adapt to live in places too harsh for other species and this is surely a great example of triumph over adversity.

I was looking out of the window today and the lovely sunlight on them just made me smile, hence the pic – although once again, I know the photo is no great work of art (or indeed a triumph over adversity). I’m not entirely sure why the camera didn’t cope with the yellow flower at all well and has turned it into a day-glo blob. I know the sunlight is very harsh and perhaps it’s just this that’s been my downfall but it’s by no means a “worldie” so sorry!