Thursday, 22 February 2024

Real or fake

 These are the second blooms on my Albuca Sprialis, Frizzle sizzle this time, they give off a vanilla smell, not to strong, I don't have many flowering houseplants, this sits on my desk. The flower is understated, I purchased this plant for it's curly leaves, it's a bulb and I think I might now have two bulbs, once it finished flowering they start to die back so I will repot it/them.

 

My first flower from an Amaryllis bulb, I have had such a poor show this season, but happy to see a huge bloom in the sitting-room, all the other bulbs are in my greenhouse, they only produced leaves in their second year. Whilst these blooms are white, they do add so much colour to our room. 

These are my fake flowers, I use them each year in season, in a couple of months I will pack them away and find summer flowers, they never feel old and tired, I love the colours. Most cut flowers sold are not grown here in UK, so their carbon footprint is huge, plus when I added up the cost of all the cut flowers I used to purchased each year. Most of my silk flowers are years old, I chose to get quality and they are lasting. 

Another new author to me, the book was on the 2 week fast read, from our library, from the start it had me hooked, 2 different time lines, I'm not sure if it was a love story (not a soppy one) or a discovery, but I enjoyed every word,  a modern gentle story. Book 15 read this year. 

A pineapple upside down cake, I made my first ever one at senior school, it became my go to cake in the 70's, it's year since I made one, I got the ingredients a while ago, but no energy to make it. So yesterday warm with custard, we had a trip down memory lane. It's still yummy. 

Thank you once again for all your comments, I am a tidy freak, I have been all my life, I grew up in a huge house in rural Somerset, with my mum and dad, an uncle (my mum's brother), and my 6 brothers and 2 sisters, I still always hear my mum's voice, 'pack it away, everything in it's place'. We probably had the cleanest house in the area, my mum was a demon at cleaning, we never were allowed out scruffy, we were never a big rowdy or dirty family, manners were everything to her, and we had to keep our own space tidy. Luckily for me hubby after years in the army is the same, he likes things packed away and jobs done, rather than walking around stuff, but in all honesty, I am far worse/better that him, I can't stand things out of place. 

It's another nothing week, raining all the time, we have not been out much at all, we did pop to town on Monday for our fruit and veg, but it was a quick visit, the rest of the time has been home, I have unpicked my big bag, and now need to cut out the new front and back and sew it together. I have started another book, and I watch the rain falling from the warmth of our home. 

On the local news this morning, our lovely pub on the beach at Lee on the Solent, we had Sunday lunch there a while ago, has burnt down, the fire was huge, the fire engines were surrounding the building, but they have been unable to save the interiors, it's going to take ages for the damage to be rebuilt, such sad news. 

12 comments:

  1. The Lost Bookshop is one of my library books to read soon so I'm glad to hear a good review.
    This weather is just so gloomy and wet and staying in is the best thing to do but I shall be glad when February is over.
    Sad news about a favourite pub

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  2. Your albuca is a most interesting plant. I think sometimes insignificant flowers can be more interesting than flamboyant ones, though your amaryllis is very pretty.
    Lovely cake!
    What a shame about the pub burning down.

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  3. The fake flowers are certainly more reliable...don't mind heat or draughts, don't encourage bugs indoors, but a lovely fresh bunch of the real McCoy

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  4. I really enjoyed The Lost Bookshop and passed it on to a friend. I remember making pineapple upside down cake as a pudding in the 70s when we were first married-it was such a treat then. My amaryllis looks set to flower today and it’s the longest I have ever had to wait. Looks like there will be four blooms. Catriona

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  5. I saw a picture of a big Frizzle Sizzle the other day, it reminded me that you have one. Looks an interesting plant. Pity about the pub.

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  6. Sorry to hear your local pub burnt down. How sad. I do love white amaryllis. So beautiful. The rain is getting a bit much at the moment. I will be happy for some dryer weather if we ever get any.

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  7. Your upside down cake looks good :)

    All the best Jan

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  8. I am sorry that your local burned down. Lovely blooms on the white amaryllis. I loved "The Lost Bookshop".

    God bless.

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  9. Your house plants are always very interesting - I am hopeless with anything indoors -probably suffer from my over to underwatering. My mum always had a tidy house on the surface but her drawers and cupboards were a nightmare and we spent ages looking for things - I am the opposite all my drawers and cupboards have to be tidy but I don't mind a bit of mess on the outside.

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  10. I wonder if it's a bad year for amaryllis's as the one I bought, already in growth, just stalled and didn't grow another inch. Very disappointing. I don't like pineapple but your cake still looks very tempting, I find the old favourites are still the best. Sad news about the pub on the beach, fire causes such devastation, I hope no one was injured or worse.

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  11. I've never got an amaryllis to flower second year but I followed all the suggestions.. and your upside down pineapple cake was my eldest sons best efforts at school cookery lessons and we often had it!

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  12. So sorry to hear about the fire at your local pub. I hope it is possible to put things back together before too long. A sad loss to the community. I have heard several people say that they enjoyed that particular book so I will add it to my ever extending book list. Pineapple upside down pudding - delicious :-)

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