In a Vase on Monday: Ballad of the Blue Heron

Remembering that tulips tend not to need any additional frippery when in a vase, IAVOM today is purely that: tulips. Three stems of lily flowered Ballade and three of fringed tulip Blue Heron, displayed in matching blue glass bottles of the usual car boot origin, accompanied by a…well, let’s call it a blue heron.

The heron prop belonged to the Golfer’s Mum and despite being a cheap Chinese import with a broken wing he has kept it for sentimental reasons, partly because it was his Mother’s and partly because of the heron connection. Before he and I were acquainted he was pointing out ‘an eron’ to someone else and in genuine innocence I asked what an ‘eron’ was, as yet unaware of the Brummie disdain for ‘h’s at the start of words; it wasn’t quite the moment our relationship began but it was certainly the initial awareness and more than 20 years later the incident is not surprisingly a standing joke between us and herons hold a special place in our hearts. Incidentally, the heron connection is the reason behind my email address, ‘corrabhan’ being the Gaelic word for heron.

Yesterday, when this vase was created, was another unexpectedly sunny day although not as sunny as the day before; both days were forecast to be overcast after initially sunny starts, so the forecast for some rain early this week will instead be a matter of  ‘wait and see’. The projected chilly nights seem to have a little more credence, as the bitter cold felt by bloggers in mainland Europe has been real enough. Whatever the weather, I hope all the usual Monday vase makers are still able to do so – and of course any new contributors to IAVOM would also be very welcome. Just pick something from your garden or forage locally and pop your finds in a vase or other container, sharing it with us by including the usual links to and from this post – then enjoy your vase during the coming days. Easy peasy…