It can only get better. It is raining cats and dogs, although even my cat is refusing to go out, he does not like wet fur. So what do you do on a rainy afternoon when you cannot go out to play, not that I wanted to go out to play, I prefer taking a walk with my camera. I discovered I had forgotten an important item on the shopping list. Mr. Swiss bravely volunteered to fetch it this afternoon and in solidarity I said I would come with him. He said he would go alone, as it would be quicker and he wants to bake an apple flan this afternoon. My attempt at escape was foiled. I was not needed. I must admit I was not really sure whether I wanted to go shopping or would prefer staying at home watching the rain falling in front of the window.

So I am sitting at home watching the rain fall down and am still bored. I had an idea. I could show everyone my poinsettia.

I know, no big deal, although I braved my way into the rain to take the photo and it was very wet out there. The thing with this plant is that it gives me a spark of hope on a dismal rainy afternoon. We had a wonderful non-rainy Spring with warm weather and my poinsettia had survived Christmas and had new leaves. I built up hope for a nice plant during the Summer outside, and perhaps next Christmas I could encourage it to produce those nice red leaves at the top (although I think this one had pink leaves).  And so it was happy to be outside until that night the weather changed and we had frost.

It was a sudden attack and the leaves dwindled and fell – so much for the good idea. My plant was reduced to a mere collection of bare stalks. In the meanwhile the builders came, saw and conquered but they had sympathy for my poor dying poinsettia (although I was sure it was already dead) and move it to a safer place with no threats from building material or suffocating dust. Yesterday I dared to have a look, as the weather was now spring warmth, and saw that it had gone forth and produced new leaves. It can really only get better, and now it is happy to be out in the rain. I know it does not look like very much at the moment, but it is still a living thing and I have not yet given up.

In the meanwhile it is still raining – oh what a miserable day. Everything is so quiet outside, there is no-one to be seen, no action. I am alone with my computer and thoughts: no background music, just the dripping of the rain outside. Yes, definitely, it can only get better.

Mr. Swiss has just returned from the supermarket. It is the first time for a long while that he has visited the supermarket on a Saturday afternoon and most probably the last. In the meanwhile the supermarket have introdced shopping until 6.00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon and no longer 4.00 pm. Due to this, the Swiss Family shoppers have turned the Saturday afternnons in a real family excursion. Mr. Swiss said “never again”. There were no parking spaces available and it was crowded. There were also few spaces to move in the supermarket. He managed to fight his way to the checkout and escaped with the spoils.

Yes, just a rainy afternoon and now he is busy with his apple flan.

Daily Prompt: It can only get better