new season
I was buying flowers to give to a friend when I saw a bucket of tightly curled, pale orange parrot tulips and I couldn't resist a couple of bunches for myself as a promise of things to come.
It's not quite the season yet (although I've seen a few species tulips popping up here and there) and I know these are forced for the market, but they served as a welcome reminder that it's long now till tulip-time. I've started surveying the garden on a daily basis to see what's happening with our own tulips, and already there's enough going on to keep me in a general state of low-key excitement.
Although these weren't labelled, I'm pretty sure they are 'Orange Favourite'. They start off relatively peachy and palely blushing but they turn into raving tangerine beauties as they open up. They are lighting up my windowsill and making a wonderful still-life with the best brand of sliced bread, the electronic egg-timer Simon & Phoebe gave me, and a subtle colour of sock yarn.
And in the spirit of looking forward and thinking about what comes next, last night I read The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp from cover to cover. This is a book that Jan recommended to me a long, long time ago, but somehow or other I never found the right moment to read it. Like the tulip bulbs, it lay dormant under a few layers of books until I unearthed it the other day during my big office tidy-up. It's very focussed, well written, thought-provoking and, for me, reassuring and revealing.
New books, new thoughts, new flowers. Ah, the joys of a new season.
Those tulips are lovely! I posted about tulips some time ago: http://vlijtig.blogspot.com/2008/01/tulips.html
Just discovered your blog. It is great.
Posted by: Kristel | March 19, 2008 at 03:19 PM
You always make my day with your happy flower pictures! How lovely and bright are these tulips in their graan vase!In our garden the first tulips are blooming.So are the tiny narcissus.Have a happy Easter!
Posted by: Nicky | March 19, 2008 at 04:59 PM
I DONT KNOW IF YOU SAW MY COMMENT , HOWEVER I WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAD THE DIAMONDS QUILT TO SHOW US, YOUR QUILTS ARE SO LOVELY AND WAS WONDERING IF ANYTHING CAME OF IT.
Posted by: IZZYR | March 19, 2008 at 09:41 PM
Excellent colors! I love the tulips and the vase you have them in is perfect! even your yarn goes good with them. what a delight to see splashes of color when all I see it white outside. I haven't heard of that book before, I'm going to check it out.
Posted by: Diana | March 20, 2008 at 01:16 AM
Fantastic tulips!! I love them!! I have red ones at the moment but they are not all curly.......
Must read the Twyla Tharp book as I have heard so many good things about it!
Happy Easter!!
Posted by: Di | March 20, 2008 at 08:02 AM
Thank you again for your reading suggestion. I've found it very useful before and I'm sure I'll learn something again.
Posted by: teresa c. | March 26, 2008 at 03:38 PM