Flower mood

Professional tobacco specialist, herb expert and much knowledgeable Gardner mother, a family with excessive wine- lands, that makes wine for generations, a spice guru, beekeeper hobbyist father and the result is me - a person who can't even grow Aloe without destroying it. As far as my plant knowledge goes, well...I know how to eat plants, or admire them in the park, and in my vase.

I love flowers, they bring me so much joy and I always have fresh ones around the house, but when it comes to looking after live ones...oh Dear, if killing them is looking after them, then I am an expert.

I always follow my mum's instructions, but somehow never get it right. I love those green babies, but they surely don't love me.

The only time I've managed to grow flowers single-handed-ly, without killing them in the process, was when my daughter (then 8 or 9 years old) had to purchase bulbs for a charity at the school.

She was so excited, wanted to plant them and follow their growth...right. Now I was in trouble, I couldn't disappoint her by telling her it's unlikely for her to ever see those bloom, with a plant- killer like her mum. But just decided to take a chance and try my best to show my kid, I am capable of growing a bulb. And if it happens that they die, I would blame it on our cleaning lady.

I think, for many weeks the first thing I was doing when I waking up, was to have a look at kitchen window and see how those are doing, then call my mum and ask what to do next.

My mum was laughing in disbelief, she loved me calling every morning, but she couldn't understand what was so difficult in watering plants. If she only knew how many plant lives I have taken, she would've been more understanding.

After many long, hard weeks of plant 'raising', I was the proud mama of 10 colourful, aromatic Hyacinths that kept on blooming and bringing lot of happy smiles to my daughter and also reminding me that when you put your heart to something there is nothing you can't do.

These days I am trying to look after my Geraniums which my mum claims are indestructible, my orchids which I only water once in a blue moon, as apparently this what they like, and trying to grow Hyacinths again.

For now, all is going well, and I am trying really hard to turn my not so-green thumb around and often reminding myself that if I can do it once, I can do it again.

Planting, fortune, life...we can always turn it around, as Professor Hawking has said

' While there's life , there is hope'

Hope I have inspired some Spring mood in you today...surely I've done it for myself by looking at my flowers even though the spring is a long way from now.

Get someone a flower today, make them smile, and then yourself....don't forget to smile!

Nicole xxx