"The Marquis of Carabas", Rafael Sabatini

I discovered the existence of this title while researching the activities of Hyde de Neuville after wondering what might have become of a version of the Comte de Brencourt who stayed behind in Paris, and looked for it on Project Gutenberg because Georges Cadoudal, who appears at the start of "The Yellow Poppy", was mentioned as featuring as a character in it (which he does), and because I was intrigued by the existence of a Rafael Sabatini novel of which I'd never heard. To my pleasant surprise, I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. The final twist satisfactorily explains away elements that had been unexplained since the start of the novel and carries emotional weight, while managing to provide some depth to its villains, and for once the book avoids Sabatini's besetting trope of the despicable weak intellectual betraying and then being defeated by the designated Manly Man.

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Seeds and seedlings

Still no Swan River daisies, either pink or blue, or (less surprisingly) argyranthemum. I think we do have some basil, though it's hard to be sure!

The towel-tomato seedlings have been gradually falling by the wayside, but it's just as well we have spares. (I think I've lost three so far -- not sure to what.) On the other hand I still seem to have two Roma tomato seedlings, despite having reported that I damaged and disposed of one of them! I think I must have changed my mind and stuck it back in to see if it would 'take'...

I have been able to harvest a little kale and pak choi to use as salad garnish, along with beetroot leaves.