We spent July 15 in France — driving home across Champagne, Lorraine, and Alsace. For almost eight hours, we looked at the gorgeous wildflowers along the sides of the highways (a lot of Queen Anne’s lace) and listened to sad, reflective compositions on the classical radio station, Musique. It was the best comfort they could offer, the announcer said, for the awful news from Nice.
But for the previous three days, we had been in Normandy, where these bright hollyhocks were blooming in the little gravel courtyard of the house where we were staying.
To see the mid-July flowers of other garden bloggers, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
enclos*ure 
I used to love to grow hollyhocks but then the rust was just too much for them –and me– and I gave up on them. But I still love them. Situation in Nice is sad. And elsewhere. Maybe all the more reason to get out and see other parts of the world in spite of it all.
My first real gardening success (in 1989, in Madagascar) was growing a clump of hollyhocks from seed. I haven’t tried since, but I’ve seen some beautiful specimens lately here in Germany and in France. They must like the cooler temperatures (and the good rain this spring/summer).
that news out of Nice accompanied us as we flew to London.
So much sad, grim news over the last 3 weeks!