I've enjoyed musing over a few recently heard sayings: you know the sort of thing you hear and such good catch phrase or a expression which give a short cut to ones feelings or experiences, is mused over. One the Queen used recently was "recollections may vary" and now Mr S and I are using that and also may "differ in place of vary". I have recently been quite tired and felt I have had to draw back from some things. I heard someone say regarding knowledge, or interest: "That is outside my bandwidth" so for now many of the things I may have followed through are now "outside my bandwidth". I wish I could remember where I heard it so that I could give it the right attribution.
Picking flowers, arranging them and posting here is well within my current bandwidth. You can have it in Black or White: now that was a saying that was thrown at me when I was young. Now I am older I can see all the shades in between, what it may look like from other people's viewpoint, and the more tactful approach of not saying anything. Wise men have always known this:
"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it."
Attributed to the medieval philosopher Omar Khayyam
Back to topic: A Vase on Monday Black (Dark Grey)
A Vase on Monday White ( A cream of some kind)
A few Silver Birch twigs picked from a branch I found on the pavement on my journey out for my dental check up: the first for around 18 months. A few stems of Pittosporum garnettii speckled with pink on the fringes of its green and cream edged leaves, and a small bunch of grape hyacinth plonked in a Caithness Vase forms this week's offering. There is a type known as Muscari neglectum, but I am not so sure that this is that one. When I looked up and found that name I nearly let out a burst of laughter. The bulbs were in a neglected patch at the side of the house, that I had only tackled last autumn, and I planted the bulbs well spaced so that I could see what would come up. I knew at least that the bulbs were not the same shape as the hybridized bluebells which have still come up a plenty, even where I thought I had dug them all out. There are some much nicer Muscari around but 'neglectum' is a great one and will have to do for today.
Neglectum looks good to me! Such a lovely clear blue and so pretty with your other stems! Love it! Amanda https://therunningwave290580645.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/spring-in-a-vase-on-monday/
ReplyDeleteThanks Amanda, but I would not want neglectum to become abandonment!
DeleteWhat are interesting contrast in photography..I like the darker one, which surprises me.. and neglectum, how wonderful. I have a lot of that in my garden...
ReplyDeleteI thought you must be joking with the Muscari neglectum, Noelle, and looked it up to check - how funny is that?!! I like the way you have offered us two contrasting backgrounds, highlighting the difference it can make. I have not seen that pittosporum before and it's a pretty variety, great foliage to support the muscari alonside your twigs as well. Turn of phrase intrigues me too, and I remember reading about that one from the Queen. Thinking of you Noelle, and hoping you do not overstretch beyond your bandwidth...
ReplyDeleteI was so amused when I read the name too Cathy, I just had to add that to the story. That Pittosporum is the standard one, but gets the pink edges during the winter. There is another variety in which this is more marked throughout the year called Elizabeth, but I liked the more straight forward green and cream one.
DeleteIt's interesting that the arrangement looks so different in its "black" and "white" settings, Noelle. The expression "outside my bandwidth" gained currency in the business world as an outgrowth of its use in the techie environment (both environments I spent too much time in at various points in my life). There's a bit of history here: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/what-is-the-new-meaning-of-bandwidth
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris, I went and followed your link and I think I am using this term in this context: “availability or capacity for something,” ....... “capacity for dealing with the nonsense of others”). That is spot on!
DeleteI had not heard of muscari 'neglectum' but it's name doesn’t do it justice. Lovely presentation in your vase this week. My husband has been enjoying a new book of 11,000 phrases collected as categorized lists and is keeping his own side list of others that come to mind as he peruses it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.simonandschuster.com/books/So-to-Speak/Shirley-Kobliner/9781982163761
Hope you have a great week enjoying your garden.
WE have to be careful here as American English idioms have a different nuance. What fun you two must have. When the shops open again, I shall have a look for something similar. I have a great book on French Idioms and it is fun to see what is equivalent to English idioms. I belong to a little group of French Conversation friends and we have continued our French Coffee mornings via zoom.
DeleteBeautiful, Noelle, I love muscari, you can never have too much and they're such obliging little things, showing up in the most unexpected places. That Pittosporum is new to me, love the pink edges. I've felt very tired too over the past months but this is no wonder with the madness that's going on. I'm more creative and energetic now again which feels good. Spring will help us to get back on track, thankfully we have our gardens.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to hear you are over your tired phase and back to your normal self Annette. We are going through some very strange times indeed. Take care.
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