greentapestry : In A Vase On Monday ~ Grumpy Old Woman

Monday, 22 February 2016

In A Vase On Monday ~ Grumpy Old Woman


A vase of flowers was just the right tonic for the start of a new week after not the best of weekends. A Saturday morning allotment visit that could not be avoided despite the pouring rain, ended up being quite enjoyable. We eat lunch and chatted in the community hut with the wood burner crackling away in the background. Tentative plans for tidying up and improving the woodland area that borders the site were made. Maybe a year from now there will be snowdrops in flower for the bees to forage on warmer February days.

But then it all went downhill from there. Boarding a bus to take me eventually in the direction of home, I had the misfortune to meet a driver who seemed to be in a hurry. He accelerated like a Formula One driver away from the bus stop before I had a chance to sit. Flesh came into abrupt and painful contact with one of the seat arm rests. A massive bruise is now decorating my left thigh. It is not a pretty sight. Somewhat later after vital shopping I hobbled home to be met with clouds of enveloping smoke coming from the neighbour's garden. In fact I initially thought that a fence was on fire but it turned out to be a false alarm. Just a huge bonfire on a still extremely wet afternoon so it didn't bother me too much. All I wanted to do was to get inside and have a look at the damage to my leg before drowning my sorrows with a cuppa.

Sunday turned out much better weather wise. The wet stuff had ceased and it was almost balmy. A great day for gardening jobs I thought despite the hurt but I was to be thwarted. Come 10.00 am or thereabouts there was a sudden rush to close the bedroom window as the mega bonfire entered phase 2 of its existence. This turned out to be an all day job. Suffice to say that by late afternoon I was fuming.


So a bit of vase plonking this morning was just what my blood pressure needed. The contents therein are :

  • Hellebore - not a named variety but a favourite.
  • Some double snowdrops from the garden. Most of them have started to go over now but there are the odd few still in fine fettle.
  • Pulmonaria 'Majesté' - there a few other pulmonarias already in flower much earlier than usual.
  • Narcissus 'Tête -à -Tête' which always makes me smile.
  • Cardamine pratensis. This again is early in flower but is putting on its best show since it was planted in 2013.
Thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' - the calming vibes that come from putting a vase together were much appreciated.

17 comments:

  1. I'd say you had good reason for a case of the grumps....and what a tonic this vase is. I wish I could pick flowers. But alas we are weeks away from spring...at least 4 I would say. So when I have the grumps from the grey days, I will look at this glorious vase, Anna!

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  2. Hope you are feeling a little nearer 21 again Anna after the calming effect of the vase making... One thing after another must have added insult to injury :( Your Monday vase of spring blooms is enough to gladden anyone's heart so I trust yours is at least half-gladdened...thanks for sharing

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  3. A breath of Spring Anna. So sorry to hear about your bruised leg and the smoky bonfire, but making your vase has clearly been a tonic and now you'll be able to enjoy it for the rest of the week. Cardamine pratensis is one of my favourite Spring wild flowers. I was going to say yours is very early but I've just checked my book and its flowering period is March to June. I always think of one of its common names, the cuckoo flower, and expect it to flower when we hear the first cuckoo, which is becoming a rarer sound every year.

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  4. My sister's neighbour is a too frequent fire raiser. Goodness knows what he finds to burn as it isn't stuff from the garden. Last summer it was every evening and now he seems to be starting again. She won't complain as she doesn't want to fall out with him but it is really inconsiderate.

    Hope your bruise soon disappears

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  5. I've come across inconsiderate bus drivers like that over the years, part of their job is to make sure their passengers are safe and they've failed on that in this instance, you really should put in a complaint to the depot. I hope the bruise isn't too painful and that you recover soon. As for the bonfire, thank goodness it wasn't the fence on fire. We don't get many people having fires around here but I remember my mum and dad having neighbours who, it would seem, waited for her to put the washing on the line before starting a fire, it used to really get my mum's back up.

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  6. I'm sorry to hear about both the bruise and the never-ending bonfire. I hope the bruise is on the mend and you can now get back to work in your garden. The vase is beautiful and I hope it dispelled the air of grumpiness for you!

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  7. I'm sorry to hear about both the bruise and the never-ending bonfire. I hope the bruise is on the mend and you can now get back to work in your garden. The vase is beautiful and I hope it dispelled the air of grumpiness for you!

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  8. worth filing a complaint? That driver sounds dangerous. I wonder if the timetables are set so that it isn't possible to get the bus there on time?

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  9. A lovely spring bouquet, have a good week, Anna!

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  10. I hope the satisfaction of making such a beautiful bouquet helped ameliorate the smoke (I hate smoky smells too!) and the injury. Anna. I love the double snow drops, they are almost like little parasols. My Pulmonarias only have tiny buds now, it will be a while, what fun it will be to have more flowers to put in vases! Hellebores are wonderful now, and the little pink Cardamine are pretty, I tried to grow some without success, but do have the tiny weeds that seed themselves everywhere. The daffodils make a nice addition too, pretty colors together!

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  11. I used to have neighbors who made massive bonfires of garden debris in spring and fall, and it always made me grumpy, too. But those flowers are just the thing to soothe a grumpy soul. -Jean

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  12. Bonfires can be a problem, at least in the summer they are banned here because of the fire risk but before then everyone will be burning their olive prunings, not unpleasant in itself but what a waste of possible mulching material! Glad your pretty vase proved a calming influence and one you can enjoy for the rest of the week.

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  13. This is tonic indeed Anna. Such pretty spring flowers, despite the damp weather! Hope the rest of your week gets better and better. :)

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  14. I hope you are feeling better, Anna. The vase is certainly cheering.

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  15. Ouch, poor you! At least you got a lovely vase of of it. I'm grateful that none of my neighbour are bonfire fanatics, they can really destroy an afternoons gardening.

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  16. A lovely cheering combination Anna, I hope your bruises are on the mend now. I love Tete a Tete with their early cheerful flowers :)

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  17. A lovely spring arrangement Anna. Neighbour' s bonfires enrage me too. They always light them on the first really nice day. I hope you have recovered now. I am sorry to be so long sending the promised snowdrops, I will send them next week.

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All your comments are much appreciated and treasured. I wil try to reply to everyone who leaves a comment, but it may take me a few days, especially when I start spending more time in the garden and at the lottie. I know that you will understand :) I am sure that I will also visit your blog if I have not already done so. If you have any specific questions I will either reply to them here or you can email me at : thegreentapestry@gmail.com

Namasté

- Anna.