Every May these showy shrubs start to bloom in our garden, here in South Africa.
We just have the red ones, but they also come in a beautiful delicate yellow, and a cross breed of the two – a soft coral colour.
Their bright blooms are such a joy, especially when the light shines through them.
They always amuse me, and I shall tell you why?
My mother, Dawn Thorpe lived in Billingshurst in West Sussex. Every year on my travels, I would be invited to sing for a local charity, which I absolutely loved doing, as I met some amazing people.
She was a full member of the local Lions and very active in their endeavours, notably being one of the personel, in their book shop in Billingshurst. It gave her a wonderful social outlet, especially after she broke her leg, as she could sit by the door and sell the books while someone else took in the books and filled the shelves. Dawn was much loved and became quite the character in the village.
This is my one of my favourite pictures of her:
This particular year, I was there over Christmas time and the Lions invited me to sing for their end of year function.
As a thank you, I was presented with a lovely Poinsettia plant, and, to my shame. I burst out laughing!!!
This poinsettia was about 10 inches high, and, as beautiful as it was, was nothing compared to those in my garden which grow up to 4 metres.
To mitigate my embarrassment, I sent a photo of mine, and all was forgiven.
Every year the poinsettias come and go, and every year I think of this story with a smile.
Just for interest, we also have another flower which is called the False Poinsettia, it only grows a few feet high and just one stem.
The sun is shining brightly on them as I write. I can look through them over to our hills as they fade into the distance. This area is called “The Valley of a Thousand Hills”.
By the time this is published, I shall be far away from them and sitting in a garden in England amid lovely English flowers.
