On the living and the dead

I don't see myself as the type with green fingers but that doesn't stop me from buying dying plants from waste after I've finished work in the evening.

I don't know if you recall from an entry I posted last year? I rescued a bonsai plant from being thrown away and felt extremely proud and noble about what I did because I had managed to turn the dying bonsai into a healthy looking and thriving plant. I even got her a little friend, and side by side they sit, happy and healthy looking. Okay, they (Big tree and Little tree) were doing great to start with. Then I went away on holiday to Turkey in August and it was after that, that things started to take a bad turn. I carried out all sorts of revival strategies --> watering them everyday; not watering them so often; putting them in direct sunlight; taking them away from direct sunlight........ still there was nothing I could do to help prevent what was coming. They started to lose their leaves and soon, they lost all their leaves and what was left was a skeleton of what used to be a healthy looking bonsai (both Big tree and Little tree together, sob sob)

They have been like this for a long long time and I refused to admit that they might be 'dead' and I continue to display them on my table, hoping for a miracle to happen one day, and also hoping that they are 'hibernating' during this winter period. (I found out through the internet that this is unlikely to be the case, sigh) So you can imagine my desk at work is not looking so great at the moment with two possibly dead bonsai plants sitting on it.

Things have changed this morning, however. 

Last night, again I was tempted into buying a dying plant in the illusion that I'll be able to nurse it back to health. This morning when I brought it in to work it looked very, very sad indeed but still I wasn't about to give up hope. 

You can see from the picture that the leaves and the flowers are really looking sad and droopy. So I wasted no time and quickly watered it. I must admit that the reason I was drawn to this plant at the first place was the extremely cute metal pot that it's sitting in. Don't you think that the pot is simply delightful?! Anyway, after I watered it, I left it and started doing some work. When I looked at it again after a while, I was amazed by the changes that have taken place.

Can you see that?? The flowers have 'come to live' and the leaves have perked up in that short period of time!!! I know it has been said many times but doesn't it show you how important 'water' is to living things??!!

I am absolutely delighted and excited beyond words but I do not want to give myself false hopes, not after what has happened to Big tree and Little tree. I shall keep very grounded with the development of this Polka Dotted Delight and see what happens next. But oh my can you sense my joy??!! I know I have probably not shown you very well the 'before' and 'after' comparison but I can tell you, the difference is definitely evident !!

It's Friday today and I am excited about the things that I might do over the weekend. I am feeling a bit more relaxed than usual this weekend because I have booked Saturday evening off as a holiday. Since the financial year is coming to an end and there is holiday to use up, Steve has sensibly suggested that I take two Saturday nights off which I thought was a brilliant idea!! So last weekend, and the weekend before that, I had attempted to bake some rasberry and white chocolate muffins but never got round to it (Steve said that it would never happen by the loooks of things). I have got all the ingredients that I need in the pantry (which Steve has kindly provided me with) so there is to be no excuse, really. So this weekend, might be the weekend that I'll make it happen. I bought some rasberries and strawberries last night and if they last long enough through the weekend, by the end of it, with a bit of luck, there might be some freshly baked muffins from the oven !! Woohooo !! The difficulty is I have got so many other things to distract me -- knitting, crocheting, designing my bespoke house on Sims 2, playing guitar hero on PS3, bugging Steve to take me on a car ride and hopefully stop for some ice cream and enjoying it while we're parked on the cliff overlooking the beautiful ocean)... So you can imagine that baking some silly muffins would come way way down the list of my priorities !!! But for you, I will give it a go because I would like to share the end result with you (if there are any successfully baked muffins, of course). If there aren't please don't ask me about them ... 

Right-T-Ho.... I think it's time for some lunch -- Thai Red Curry with Jasmine Rice from Marks N Spencer. 

Yummy (I hope).