Thursday, November 14, 2013

Peonies

I bought these peonies from a local flower vendor the other day.  I had never bought flowers from her before.  She did not have as much variety as the other vendors, but she had items that were more rarely seen - huge peonies, freesia, star flowers, etc.  I was very drawn to her peonies. 

She only spoke Cantonese, though, and try as I might to guess at what she was saying, I did not fare as well this time as I have in the past with taxi drivers or massage therapists.  However, she kept repeating herself and mimicking certain motions, and after a while I am proud to say that I finally understood her caretaking instructions. 

Sometimes it's really fun to live in a foreign country. It really forces your brain to stretch. I mean, to be able to simply buy flowers and easily understand exactly how much it costs or how to take care of them? Way too boring!  Where's the fun in that?
 
She charged me quite a lot for these, and I walked away at the time thinking I'd been taken.  I also thought, why would she take so much time to tell me how to cut the stems and what water level to fill the vase to and when to put in the growth powder... obviously she was very excited to make the sale! 

But oh, how these babies have bloomed.
 

They have bloomed just like the florist promised they would.  And now, I am reveling in these beauties, lost in their delicate perfume and their paper thin petals, as they continue to arch and open and beckon. 
Such creamy perfection!
These past few days when I have been puttering in the kitchen, I pause whatever I am doing once in a while, and just stick my nose in the big cotton ball bloom and take a huge whiff.  I am in love.

Update!  The flower has gotten even bigger!  It's magic.
 

1 comment:

  1. Those are gorgeous and this post made me smile, picturing you smelling your peonies :)

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