I bet you thought I was done? No, just had to take a few moments to catch my breath....Those of you who were on the tour with me, asked me why my husband didn't come.....Wellllll...I invited him, and he said no you two girls go, I would be a third wheel...(originally Daddy was coming, but he went to heaven instead.). Okay. So Anna my cousin from California and I planned this wonderful trip. Covid hit....no trip...covid started to wean...and the trip was up and running....Now Gary said I think I'll come....I said I don't think that's possible, as we have everything in place......He was a little disappointed, but he decided to remodel the bathroom while I was gone. Thinking he could redo a whole bathroom while he was working a full time job was crazy....but he thought he could do it....but NO ...he had issues at every turn and now it's been weeks, maybe months and we are still in remodel mode. We are coming to an end, but not quite done yet. It will be terrific when complete, but the remodel zone is awful. I will show pictures when it is complete, but not yet.
So flowers? It was the end of April, beginning of May and the flowers hadn't even come to fully bloom, but they were exceptional the ones that were in bloom.
There is a flower that is all over the landscapes of Scotland and Ireland...it is called Gorse, but the Scots call it Whin. The Irish call it Fure. There is another word aiteann, (pronounced ah-chin) which is the Irish word for Gorse. It is the 17th letter of the Celtic alphabet, and is associated with the goddess of winter, Cailleach. I didn't get close enough because it has spiny leaves, but it is said to smell like coconut and vanilla....that equals the beach in my nose. One flower, many names and found all over the hills and valleys of Scotland and Ireland, I guess Wales as well.
In all their glory the Gorse.....now for many other flowers that I have no idea what their names are, but they were just beautiful...some I may paint.....I'll keep you posted...
These beauties are Rhododendrums. They were arranged in the Royal Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh. A fabulous place to visit.....
Then the Thistle! These are not my pictures, but they sure are beautiful. The thistle is Scotlands national emblem. It clearly connotes BRAVERY, COURAGE AND LOYALTY, in the face of treachery. It is also the base of Scotlands ancient order of chivalry known as "The Order of Thistle". (It recognizes Scottish men and women who have held public office or who have contributed in a particular yay to national life.). I didn't have the opportunity to actually photo any thistle. Because I thought it was a pineapple, until someone probably Michael, said look at that big
pineapple....and then went on to say it was a thistle. I only saw the thistle in stone, all carved into buildings. As a Florida girl I never ever gave it a thought ..aha...I thought I was so smart....not.
I am sure I missed some of the beautiful flowers, if I find some more I will be sure to post....I think Anna has all the daffodil pictures....and she is in France now with her brother and family...so I will wait to ask her for some...