Flowers and decisions

It's definitely autumn now, but there's still a lot of colour in the garden. Here's a nerine. I've tried to grow them for years and had given up, when suddenly, this year, two appeared in the front garden and this one in the back. They've clearly been sulking for ages and just decided to flower now. The ones in the front must be a different variety, because they're a bit peely-wally, ie pale, and are now more or less over. But this one is lovely. I hope it acquires some offspring. 

I don't even know what this is. Looking on the internet, I wonder if it may be an argyranthemum. Anyway, I bought it somewhere or other and it's been flowering for months. 

This bed has a variety of things: verbena, begonia, busy Lizzie. And the garden refuse bin in the background... And of course there are a lot of plants that are way past their best, but I didn't point the camera in their direction. Don't believe all you see on the internet!

Cosmos - lots and lots of pink ones too, 

nicotiana in many hues - can't believe I didn't grow them for the first time till I was 74! I love them.

And even the last of the sweet peas. I haven't deadheaded them much recently but they're still flowering. 

The trees in the streets near us are very autumnal too.

First world problem: our downstairs bathroom is... oh, probably 30 years old. It's still mainly fine, but the vanity unit is getting past its best and needs to be replaced. I really like the tiles I chose 30 years ago, and am reluctant to junk a perfectly good loo, washbasin, bath and shower - and spend a lot of money in the process - to get an entirely new bathroom. But on the other hand, will we be able to get another vanity unit that fits in the space, and would we be better to get a more modern-looking bathroom anyway, to make the house look more desirable to someone viewing the house when we sell it? Not that we have any plans to sell it any time soon, but who knows what the future holds? 

With the kitchen, which is only slightly younger, we decided a year or two ago to have it repainted and leave it at that. A new kitchen - ours is fairly big and has a lot of units - would cost a fortune, and any new people would probably have different tastes. And it's fine - not falling to bits at all; just not a currently fashionable style. 

When we had some redecoration done in several rooms a few years ago, I said just to paint everything white - partly just because it was easy - but also because it's neutral, with these same imaginary house-buyers in mind. And the painter said to me that one should never decorate with the future inhabitants in mind, because who knows what they'll like? Which was a good point. And now I'm a bit bored with the white. 

There you are, Daughter 2 - I did manage to waffle another post out before going down to hold the fort in London tomorrow. For you, anything. See you soon!