Fumar es un placer genial, sensual

Gorgeous Crocus tommasinianus "Ruby Giant" - neither "ruby" nor "giant", actually...

We should expect it at this time of year, of course, but yesterday's glorious blue-skied sunny Spring weather has overnight turned back to murk and rain. Depressing. At least we managed yesterday evening to finish the job of clearing weeds from what laughingly passes for a "border" in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers [basically, a narrow strip of mud alongside next door's fence] and planted the rest of the sorry-looking biennials (foxgloves, forget-me-nots and evening primrose) into it, so hopefully we may have some flowers to look forward to in a couple of months...

Let's take our minds off the dankness, shall we, in the estimable company of today's birthday girl and Patron Saint, Señorita Sara Montiel:

Sara Montiel - Fumando Espero [clip from El último cuplé, 1957]

She needs to watch her fag, wearing that flimsy peignoir!

That clip being a mere soupçon of the song (interrupted as it was by that rude boy at the door!), here's another - even more camp - version [apologies for the quality of the video recording, but you get the measure of it]:

Sara Montiel - Fumando Espero [from the lady's own '90s show El último cuplé]

Fumar es un placer
genial, sensual.

Fumando espero
al hombre a quien yo quiero,
tras los cristales
de alegres ventanales.

...which translates as:

Smoking is a wonderful
sensuous pleasure.

Smoking, I wait
for the man I love
behind the glasses
of gaily-coloured windows.

How apposite.

Sara "Sarita" Montiel (born María Antonia Abad Fernández, 10th March 1928 – 8th April 2013)