I’ve had my eye on this young lady for a couple of weeks. She’s been hanging out by the steps off of the front terrace. Although I checked on her every day, her adolescence took forever.

But this morning, when I stepped out with a cup of hot tea, I discovered that she was blossoming! Poppies open quickly, particularly when the sunshine hits them, so I popped outside every few minutes to check on her. Twenty minutes later she was a full-blown floozy.