There are always roses to see, one of the most beautiful flowers.
Daily Archives: 04/03/2017
Colour Your World: Outer Space
From a sparrow’s eye view in a supermarket, he was definitely in outer space. I do not know about the colour, as sparrows are probably colour blind, but this is an outer space colour scheme.
Last Friday I was with Mr. Swiss gathering the week-end shopping in the supermarket and we were just marching with our trolley towards the cash desk when Mr. Swiss pointed out our feathered friend flying around the shelves and eventually perched on the floor. I did not need telling twice, my mobile phone camera was ready for the action photos. I took a couple of the sparrow sitting on the ground and then he decided he had better things to do and flew up to the ceiling. A ceiling in a supermarket is a designer construction, and there are so many look-out towers for a sparrow to sit and watch the action.
Sparrow decided a comfortable perch on the iron supports was ideal where he could decide on further explorations and I was still snapping away with my phone camera. What is a sparrow doing in a supermarket where everything is sealed, no windows to open because it is all air conditioning? Somewhere there must be an opening: perhaps he came through the automatic closing doors, a ventilator, or was he nesting in the stock room, surrounded by peckables. He might have discovered the bird food section and that would be a sparrow’s ideal of a land of milk and plenty. This did not look like an unhappy sparrow, he had found his place in the world. He was on the planet of his dreams.
And so we left the supermarket content to know that this sparrow would definitely not have food problems.
Daily Prompt: Parlay with me
“Why are you taking a photo of those dead amaryllis flowers?”
“They are not dead, just parlayed with death.”
“They did what?”
“Yes I have a new word. It’s like when you change something for something better for profit of course. I am parlaying my expensive amaryllis for something more valuable.*
“Are you sure that is what it means. I thought it came from french “to speak”.”
“That as well I suppose, but in this sense of the word my expensive amaryllis flower has now completed it life circle and is no longer a flower.”
“Exactly, it is dead.”
“Am I dead because I had children?”
“Of course not, but you cannot compare a human being to a flower.”
“When I was younger you often compared me to a rose.”
“Yes, but that was before you added 20 kilo to your weight and your hair was a wonderful shade of brown.”
“My hair is still a wonderful shade. There are people that pay money to have highlights put into their hair.”
“But you do not have highlights, it is a natural golden oldie transformation to grey.”
“To revert to the original conversation. I am parlaying with my amaryillis.
This is my second amaryllis flower, and the first has now produced seeds, like children.”
“So what has this to do with a parlay.”
“To be quite honest I do not really know, but I am doing my best here with this stupid unknown word, so stop criticising. I payed at least 20 Swiss francs for this amaryllis complete with pot and earth. I have nurtured it, giving it to drink and watched it grow and flower and now seeds have developed. Now the time has come to claim my reward.”
“But no-one is going to buy a plant with dead and shrivelled flowers.”
“I am not selling a plant with dead and shivelled flowers I will plant the seeds that have now developed. New amaryllis bulbs will grow. There must be a least 20 seeds in one pod, and I will probably have about 4 pods per flower stalk, on two stalks. That amounts to 4×20 per stalk x2 for two stalks – 160 x2=320 new amaryllis bulbs at 20 Swiss francs each = 640 swiss Francs profit.”
“But probably not in our lifetime. Do you realise how long it would take for the bulbs to develop and produce flowers from the seeds: at leat 5 years. Your hair will then no longer have highlights, but will be completely silver, if the experiment succeeds.”
“Of course it will succeed.”
“And where are these 640 bulbs going to grow and develop?”
“No problem, in summer I can put them outside in the garden.”
“And in winter when it snows and temperatures drop below freezing point.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that, but am sure to find room somewhere inside.”
“But not in my living room.”
“But I have my orchids in the living room and they never bothered you.”
“You cannot compare 5 orchids with 640 amaryllis bulbs, which will probably never survive. And you will have to buy 640 pots for your bulbs, and fertiliser. There wil not be very much profit left.”
“You know what, you are right. This is stupid word in any case. Perhaps I could sell you for something more co-operative and supportive.”
“No problem, just make sure the new owner does not have a dead amaryllis.”
Good Morning
Look what I found in the garden beginning to blossom. It is a so-called lenten rose, helleborus, a relation of the white Christmas Rose which already shows its white flowers just after Christmas, one of the first. However, the lenten rose is the second. Some time in early February we cut away the old leaves from last year, because the new flowers begin to appear. I have had this one at least 15 years and it arrives regularly. I just leave it, and it also spreads its seeds, so new plants continuously appear, but are not big threat to taking over.
I also noticed on my walk yesterday, that the catkins are now out, one of the first to show on the hazel branches. Not long now and the first daffodils will be appearing.
I got a message from my Microsoft computer yesterday that my apps also run in the background when I am not using the computer and this could somehow deplete the energy of my transformer – and who wants to replace a transformer, they are expensive, although I have been there and done it with past computers. I really sometimes have a feeling that computers are some sort of threat, hovering and waiting to pounce. I mean what is a computer without an app. I noticed lately, that even if my Microsoft computer tells me that it only posseses 91% of what it should possess when I switch it on. I was sure that someone or something was using my computer when I was sleeping.
Today I had a look. I think the computer realised I was now aware of this mysterious infiltration of power as this morning everything was at 100%. However I examined my apps and discovered that perhaps all 36 were not really necessary. I had apps that have never been applied – after all for what do I have Chrome with all its tags. I very rarely used my apps, only the Malwarebytes and Crap cleaner when I am finished with my online tasks. I have now reduced them to 21 apps and am still thinking about the remainder. Computer I am now watching you, so behave.
Otherwise today is a day when I relax and have fun at home as a domestic goddess and cook. I have no big plans to go places, although you never know.
On my walk yesterday afternoon, I noticed these Spring flowers in a neighbour’s garden, so thought I would share them.
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 