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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Monday, March 7, 2016

In a Vase on Monday - An Invitation

We've been invited to tea at Frog's house near the pond at the bottom of our garden.  (You know, close to where the fairies live.)


THERE are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
       It's not so very, very far away;
You pass the gardner's shed and you just keep straight ahead
      -- I do so hope they've really come to stay.
There's a little wood, with moss in it and beetles,
      And a little stream that quietly runs through;
You wouldn't think they'd dare to come merrymaking there--    
      Well, they do.

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
     They often have a dance on summer nights;
The butterflies and bees make a lovely little breeze,
      And the rabbits stand about and hold the lights.
Did you know that they could sit upon the moonbeams
      And pick a little star to make a fan,
And dance away up there in the middle of the air?    
     Well, they can.

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
     You cannot think how beautiful they are;
They all stand up and sing when the Fairy Queen and King
     Come gently floating down upon their car.
The King is very proud and very handsome;
     The Queen--now you can quess who that could be
(She's a little girl all day, but at night she steals away)?
       Well -- it's Me!

-Rose Fyleman

We must bring a cheerful bouquet from the garden to cheer him as he's just awakening from his winter slumber.   Between rain showers, I grabbed a few things:

Daffodil 'Tête-à-Tête',  Vinca major (Periwinkle,) a Bergenia bloom cluster, and some foliage of Persicaria 'Red Dragon.'

A happy little vase as blue as the spring sky between the clouds. 

With artless abandon, like flowers hastily gathered by little hands for imaginary friends.  Let's hope they brighten frog's day as he's been feeling a bit under the weather. 

Who would have guessed that the Bergenia calyxes would be the same color as the Persicaria leaves?   

 And that the color combination would resemble that of frog's creamer? 

Our early spring has made frog feel quite a bit better  and he set a sweet little table for us. Fortunately, this time he and toad saved us some cookies!




If you ever get an invitation to tea at frog's house, you may wish to bring your own chair as he has only...toadstools and never poke fun at his children as tad-Polish jokes are quite passé and have always been of questionable taste in polite company.  If you're tired of the rain and cold  and aren't friends with a nearby invitation-issuing speaking amphibian, just brew a nice pot of tea.  It'll warm you from the inside and help you dream of summer.

In a Vase on Monday is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  This meme is to encourage us to cut from our gardens or forage from nearby something organic to bring inside to cheer us for the week, throw it in a vase, and share it to help lift the spirits of everyone else.  Fun idea, right?  Join in the fun by sharing your own arrangement and/or by clicking here to see what everyone else has done this week. 




26 comments:

  1. Dearest Peter you have put such a HUGE smile on my face with this post !
    What a gorgeous table you have set with a perfect vase of beauties .. who would know the Persicaria leaves would match that Bergenia so well ?
    This has been such a sweet post .. lifted my spirits from this dull cold wet winter day ... wish I could come over for tea, especially if there were cookies left ? LOL
    Joy : )

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    1. Oh Joy, so glad you smiled! Spring is casting it's magic spell here and it'll soon be in your garden as well! Do drop in for tea, I'll make sure that frog and toad save some cookies for you!

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  2. You've started my week off with a smile which is the best way to begin. And it is so warm here I just walked around my garden without a winter coat! A little taste of spring.

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    1. Hooray for a smile on Monday morning! We're all looking forward to coat free days!

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  3. 'In a Vase' Mondays are turning into quite an elaborate production. This in particular is funny and sweet, as I love miniatures. Although I have no invitation-issuing speaking amphibian friends, I enjoy them vicariously through you.

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    1. I didn't really intend to do the whole thing but ran out and cut a few flowers, grabbed a vase that they'd work in. The creamer came from a thrift store sale a couple of weeks ago and I noticed that the colors were similar but it wouldn't work to hold those particular flowers so out came more mismatched things to throw together a little rustic tea party. The cabbage tea pot belonged to my mother and I have fond memories of sharing tea in her kitchen brewed in that little cabbage.

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  4. I have learned something this morning. I did not know the phrase "There are fairies in this garden" came from a poem!

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    1. It's one of those silly poems/songs that I've loved since I found old sheet music years ago and started giggling at the double double entendre.

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  5. What a fun, silly and imaginative post! Thanks for the morning smiles.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed tea with me at frog's place. It was fun to rummage through stuff to find things that looked a bit like it might be found in frog's place.

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  6. You and Cathy were on the same wavelength this week, Peter. Thank you for inviting us along to frog's house. I'm glad the fairies didn't show up - I hear they can be very greedy.

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    1. I hear that a generous application of DDT will take care of those pesky fairies. :)

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  7. Silly? Not at all, but definitely fun! What a lovely montage of pices you have assembled along with your entertaining words. Thank you so much for all the smiles it has generated!

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    1. Spring is a happy time in the garden and for hot tea on blustery days!

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  8. Is that what the frogs have been on about? They have been increasingly vocal the past week. Had I only know frog-speak, I might have heard an invitation to tea hidden in their cacaphony?

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    1. On a sunny Friday, when we went to the Yard, Garden, and Patio Show, we got to Cistus just before closing. As we prepared to leave it was near sunset and the sound of all the critters out there on the island was incredible. Something that we don't get to experience living in town. I wanted to linger and enjoy the concert but Means was calling.

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  9. Love this post, love the poem...

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  10. Oh, my vase is empty on this Monday. Can I come to tea at your house?

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    1. Any time my friend! Just give me a call beforehand so I can pick up a bit.

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  11. Thanks for making me smile. That is a lovely collection of china for serving your tea :)

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  12. What a fun post. Pretty posy too.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.