Topic Generator: Violet Pop

“What is all the noise? I am a decorative gourd and need my beauty sleep to grow big and strong.”

“Oh, hello gourd, it’s just us. We have arrived and today is the day when we open up with a violet pop to show how good we are. It was worth waiting for.2

“Great, and how am I suppose to develop my talents with a noisy bunch like you. I was here first.”

“Yes, now that is true. Someone as big and ugly as you are needs time to develop. We are born beautiful, just look at our wonderful colours. We really pop. I am sure I saw a human taking photos of us.”

“She also took some photos of me when I arrived. I am already famous.”

“Yes, well I suppose you would be with your size and warts on your skin. Really something to be remembered. So what is your purpose in plant devepment?”

“Not only noisy but cheeky. I am a gourd, I grow and develop.”

“What about the birds and bees sort of stuff. I bet they don’t bother to visit you, You probably frighten them away.”

“Excuse me you violet wonders, but that is in my past, otherwise I wouln’t be here. I was once a wonderful big yellow flower, Just look over there, you can see some of my flowering brothers and sisters. They are waiting for the great event. Unfortunately we are so big and majestic, that only a few of us manage to hit the jackpot. I was one of the lucky ones.”

“Oh I see, so you have already been pollinated and you are the result. What happens next?”

“I just hang around and wait. My body is full of seeds and eventually my children will grow as big and strong and I am. Not like you puny flower wonders.”

“What do you mean. We are beautiful with striking colours. Without us this wall would be drab and boring.”

“Let’s just wait and see. I give you another hour of flowering time.”

“For what?”

“Just wait and see, you will soon stop bragging.”

“You are just jealous”

“Of what?”

“Of us …… of us… of us. What is happening?”

“I think your time is slowly coming to an end violet pop flowers. Here today and gone in an hour as they say. I am something that lasts, You will still see me in a month hanging here, if I haven’t been picked and polished and placed in a bowl with my sisters for all to see. Look, you are already shrivelling at the edges and you wonderful violet popping colour is turning a little pale at the edges. You are even shrivelling. So what do you say now violet popping flower. Nothing??? and now to return to catch up on my sleep. We decorative gourds take it easy and watch the others wilt and shrivel. Our time will come when you are just a bunch of seeds. So is plant life, but next year we will be back, perhaps, if we survive.”

“So will we. We were just a seed that was left from last year. And we will arrive again with a pop, a bang and a blue explosion next year. We might only be here for a few minutes, but we will definitely return and climb back to fame.

Food for the Soul and Eyes

Tell us about your favorite meal, either to eat or to prepare. Does it just taste great, or does it have other associations?

On a memorable day 11th November, 2013, I told everyone about it with my first contribution to this prompt title, and so I will not repeat myself. I have not discovered anything new, to cook, perhaps avoid spending more time than I want to in the kitchen, due to the fact that it is Spring and time to go for walks.

Let us begin with something for the eyes (I am still not sure about this soul thing - I do not think that anyone has seen one yet). Again on one of my paths into the unknown I saw that the sky was painting a picture for my camera. It added a few extras and so I took a photo. The mountain range in the background is again the Jura, just behind my village. If you look on the left you will see two points higher than the rest. This is the famous “Hasenmatt” (Hare field) which is the highest point in the State/Kanton of Solothurn. Have I been there? Of course I have, but it was in my younger days when my feet, legs and body were co-ordinated to climb peaks, overcome boulders and stones on the way and walk upwards. I think it was fifty years ago. Of course, I could do it today, but they have not yet built a chair lift or cable car to get their, it still depends on sure footwork and a fit body. Oh, where have those days gone? I can still see it and record it from the safety of firm ground with my camera.

The first flowers of a Swiss Spring are dotted all over the place on my walk. This is becoming very poetical I must say. This is a primula for those that do not recognise this harbinger of Spring (found that word in the dictionary). They are everywhere, mainly in yellow, but also pink, blue and white. You can even buy them in the local supermarket, but these are the wild ones that arrive every year. When we moved into our ground floor apartment I planted some in my garden. They looked good, but unfortunately did not survive, so I gave up and let nature do the work in the fields. If we have a long Winter, you even find them shivering in between the patches of ice and snow.

I also found some patches of this blue flower, but for artistic reasons I decided to do a solitary shot, thinking it would probably have a better chance of being noticed by a photo talent scout for my longed for Pulitzer Prize. Who said that? I know I repeat myself, but you cannot repeat yourself enough, one day it might be heard. If any of my faithful disciples would recognise and know the name of this flower, I would be pleased. You cannot have a prize winning photo without the correct name. I did not even have to risk an accident with this flower as it was growing on flat ground, although I did feel a pain shoot though my back when bending to get a closer view. It was even worse when I stood up again. I know I have a zoom lens, but even that does not always zoom enough. On my marathon walks I can only take my Canon camera as it is not so heavy. Had I taken my super Nikon DSLR I would probably have seen some small insect waving and smiling as I took the photo but the camera is too heavy to carry for kilometres on my walk.

Today is a walkless day, even a golden oldie has to allow her limbs to recover, but fear not, tomorrow i will again be on my way making the surrounding scenery unsafe. 

WordPress Daily Prompt: Secret Admirers

You return home to discover a huge flower bouquet waiting for you, no card attached. Who is it from — and why did they send it to you?

“What’s that?” I had arrived home and there was a bunch of flowers (bouquet?) lying in front of the door.

Mr. Swiss saw the flowers and gave the answer “no idea”, so my suspicions that he had sent flowers to me were soon dispersed. We do not do flowers. There is an eternal problem of finding the right vase to fit. Each time we receive or buy flowers the search begins. You cannot put them in a pickle jar and generally we throw the pickle jars away after the cucumbers have been eaten. Jam jars only come in small sizes and Mr. Swiss prefers honey, which are even smaller.

So it seems that someone left the flowers in front of the door as no-one was home to answer the bell and as generally know the postman really only rings twice. He had no time to wait and scribble a quick note.

Mr. Swiss picked them up and carried them into the apartment.

“I am glad there are no roses.”

“Why?”

“The last time we had roses they drew blood when a thorn prodded my finger.”

I remembered the occasion. There were blood stains all over the table and his t-shirt. Thank goodness it was not one of those WordPress t-shirts. They are rare and hard to come by.

“Do we have a vase for the flowers?” Mr. Swiss asked.

“I will have a look. There might be one in the garden cupboard.”

“But not that blue one with the silver engravings. We haven’t used it for some time and I am sure the silver will be tarnished and you will have to polish it first of all. It will also be far too small.”

I had a look in the garden cupboard and Mr. Swiss was right. He is a very wise man and Swiss, so they like things to be perfect. After removing 6 months of a spider’s life in the shape of cobwebs from the vase, I decided it was tarnished and when looking inside the vase I discovered there were too many insect remains to worthy a bouquet on the table in the living room. My eyes roamed through the vase collection. This did not take so long as we only have five or six. They are in two different sizes, enormous or very small. I actually wanted a middle sized vase, not too big or too small. I had an idea. I returned to the kitchen and found an ideal container.

“You are not using that?” said Mr. Swiss. Note there is a questions mark at the end of this epic statement. An exclamation mark would also have been suitable.

“But I thought…..”

“You cannot put flowers in a milk jug.”

“Why not, it is clean and has a nice design.”

“It has a spout.”

“Ah” and then I saw a beer glass, nice and big, just the right size. Before Mr. Swiss could answer, there was a ring on the door bell, not once, not twice but three times and then I knew it was not the postman. It was a man in a WordPress t-shirt.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but we had a mix-up back at the office. We had thousands of bouquets to deliver today to our faithful daily prompt authors, and Mrs. Angloswiss being a regular victim contributor, we had a special flower arrangement.”

I was so glad. The vase problem was solved and I did not have to convince Mr. Swiss to use a beer glass. The t-shirt man gave me a wreath with wonderful blood red roses depicting the letters www angloswiss com. I was speechless. He then muttered an apology that there were no XXL t-shirts available and this was compensation.

“Who’s that guy in the funny t-shirt?” Mr. Swiss arrived at the door.

“It’s a delegate from WordPress, they sent the flowers but we received the wrong flowers. He came to pick up the flowers that do not fit the vase. It was a mistake and he has now left a wreath instead: much more practical.”

“At least it solves the vase problem.”

We now have a wreath with blood red roses hanging on the wall in the living room and Mr. Swiss did not even prick his finger on the thorns. They had been de-thorned. How nice and considerate of the WordPress people.

Click here for more

Canna

Although Autumn is just around the corner and we have a cold weather spell at the moment, the canna in a pot in the garden is still flowering. Probably making the most of the remains of the Summer before disappearing into my cellar, where it will stay potted and sleeping until next year when it will again take its place in a sunny spot.

"What did you say Canna?"

"I am not ready to got yet, still have a few flowers to show. Plenty of time, no rush. Just a drink of rainwater now and again and a few sun rays to keep my feet nice and warm and damp. You won't get rid of me so fast."

And that was a report from a small plot of garden somewhere in Switzerland where the foxes and the hares say good night to each other.