I rescued a butterfly from the greenhouse yesterday. It stays open during the day, so the poor thing had wandered inside, and it could not find its way out.
We keep the greenhouse unfolded – the nights are still cool, so I keep the most sensitive plants inside. The cover is transparent, and it’s obviously confusing for the insects.
I let the butterfly land on my hand, and I carefully brought it outside. Its wings were damp from the condensed water on the cover, so it needed some time to dry. It stayed with me for a while, and then it flew away.
I didn’t want to disturb it, so I did not try to make pictures – but it was of the same species as the one in my video from last summer, Scarce swallowtail.
When I went out this afternoon, I saw a small dove perched on the table in the yard, with a bowl of water next to it. I asked our neighbour what happened to the bird, and he said that his dog Topo caught it and brought it to him. It did not seem to be injured, but it was obviously very stressed by the experience and it did not move for a few hours. But when I came back later, it was gone, so maybe it recovered and eventually flew away.
This morning it was sunny again, so I resumed my habit of having coffee on the porch.
The plant exchange in our friends’ circle never stops.
I am going to “adopt” a bougainvillea, because a neighbouring tree was shading it and it didn’t have enough light on my friend Gatsi’s balcony. I offered to replace it with my hydrangeas, which refuse to bloom for some reason. I know they prefer shade, so maybe they don’t feel well on our south-facing porch.
I offered to give some plants to Gergana too, and she was thrilled. But then I remembered that some are poisonous (passiflora, sweet peas, tricyrtis), so it would not be a good idea to keep them near small kids. So, maybe the only reasonable option is to bring her some of the numerous nasturtium plants that I have grown from seeds.
I often have this sudden urge to give one of my love beads necklaces to someone (so I usually have none for myself, though I make them all the time). Since the start of the social isolation, I started sending them – sometimes to people I only know online.
I wanted to send one to Lisa, who is my Facebook friend, so I asked for her address. She said that she worked in a craft beer/wine/coffee shop.
It is located in Sinemorets, a Southern village by the seaside, which we adore. It is a holiday spot, popular among our friends – really small and calm, far from the big hotels and resorts in the North.
We used to go there every year, but now our dog Charlie is very old and such a long journey with him would not be possible. I really miss the fresh, laid-back atmosphere of this place.
I thought that Lisa might like our mugs too, so we sent one for her and one for a friend of ours who spends the summer there, Vella. She is an artist, and she sells her artworks in a small art gallery/gift shop there.
This is Vella’s page –
https://www.facebook.com/postcardsfromthesea
I chose my “Peace Tapestry” and “Fantastic Garden” designs for them.
I hope both ladies will enjoy them, and maybe they could use them as samples for possible sale of our mugs in both shops. I hope that some people in this great place would appreciate my style.
I went to the courier office to drop the package, and I “accidentally” passed by our local garden center. I saw a beautiful orange plant displayed in the front, and I just had to have it.
It turned out to be Indian canna. I did not recognize it at first, it looked so different than my red one.
I also tried planting bulbs of a yellow variety, but they never sprouted. I guess I will have to add them to my multiple “bulb fails” this year – maybe it is because of the high humidity.
The first ones to support our new ideas are our friends, as usual. Some of them want to order our new mugs – it makes me feel both happy and a bit uncomfortable. I would like to give the mugs to them as gifts, which I usually did with the things I made, when crafts were just a hobby for me. But they insist to buy them “properly”, so we get into funny negotiations every time.
A great couple – Elena and Stephen, have just received their boho mugs and necklaces from us. She posted these photos, saying they loved them. I am so happy!
