I woke up too early on Sunday morning, so I did not get enough sleep. Then I got another glimpse in Shve’s magical world – full of cats, flowers and sunshine, where our love beads necklaces and boho mugs fit so well, and it lifted me up immediately. Her spirit and my colors emphasise each other in a beautiful way. You make me happy, girl!
Nick had a small vacation from his work, so yesterday we had some time to run colorful errands.
I finally potted all plants and seedlings that I wanted to give to Gergana and Lia.
When I sowed my flower seeds this spring, some of them did not sprout; others did but the seedlings withered soon. Then I used the pots for other plants, and at some point the leftover seeds in the soil began to sprout. Now I have some new lobelia seedlings, which is great – butterflies love lobelias, and most of the plants that I got from the garden center did not make it.
Small portulaca seedlings grew in this way too. I selected some of them for Lia; I think they would feel good on her sunny balcony. I also brought her one of my bougainvilleas – we had three, after we saved Gatsi’s tree (it is feeling much better here, and it is about to flower). When she saw it, Lia instantly said it had to be repotted. I was impressed that she knew this, even as a novice gardener.
I planted some nasturtiums for Gergana, they already started to bloom. My tricyrtis had multiplied, so I gave some of the new plants to both girls; I did the same with the seedlings from the self-seeding cinerarias.
We printed labels with the plants’ names and short instructions; then I attached them on wooden skewers and I stuck them in the pots. I wondered if this was necessary, but now I am glad we did it. Getting all these new plants must have been confusing – the girls kept asking me various questions later, and it would be hard for them to tell the plants apart without the labels.
I also gave one of the abutilon plants that I saved last summer, and some of the sweet peas that I grew from seeds , to each of the girls.
Now there is much more space for my other plants. I spent this morning potting the new ones, repotting and rearranging some others so that they have enough space and light.
I have only had desire and ability to grow a lot of plants when I was the happiest (when Boris was a baby, and now again). So, I guess it means the same for Gergana and Lia; I am happy for them, and glad to be a part of this. As in that quote by Audrey Hepburn, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” It shows that you feel calm, confident and stable – where there is enough time, space and energy for plants, there must be more than enough for people too.
We went to see Gergana first, and we brought her the plants and a big bag of colorful clothes and accessories. She went out in the yard with her kid and her dogs, it was a kind of cheerful mess. We were happy to see each other, for the first time since the start of the social isolation . Then she sent me this happy selfie with one of the dresses and some of the love beads necklaces that I made for her.
It was very hot, and the air conditioning in our car is not working, so the trip was tiring for us (and the plants too), but it was worth it, to make the girls happy. (Some of the plants were a bit droopy, I hope they will recover soon).
Our next stop was at Lia’s apartment. She was really inspired when she saw all the plants that we brought her, and she said she needed more pots and soil. We went together to one of the “men’s malls”; Nick stayed outside (I think it was for the first time), so we went straight to the gardening section. While Lia was choosing her pots, I found some plants for myself – crossandra, and celosia in my favorite magenta color.
On our way back we went for a grocery run, and we found another interesting tomato variety – this time, orange.
They tasted fresher than the yellow ones, but still I hoped for a richer flavour.
We also got falafels, tabouli salad, stuffed olives and pomegranate juice. When we finally got home, there was an oriental feast – Boris really enjoyed it.
Our friend Milena did this photoshoot of her cat with one of the love beads necklaces that I made for her. Cuteness overload!
A couple of years ago I found these lovely jeans, embroidered with birds and flowers, in a local classifieds website. They were unworn, still with their tags on… but unfortunately, far too small for me.
Normally, I would up-cycle the embroideries. But they were too beautiful to cut, so I decided to keep them, just in case.
Now that I lost 25 kg (55 pounds), I tried them on again… and they finally fit. I can’t believe i did this! (They are just a bit tight, for further motivation.) I think I could live in them, even though it is too hot for jeans now.
