Say it with flowers.

I love flowers. We don’t get many flowers flowering naturally in Dubai for obvious reasons, but of course you can buy flowers in florist shops no problem. I hardly ever buy myself flowers so when I receive them it always puts a smile on my face. Back in August I celebrated my birthday.    I was lucky enough to be gifted two separate bunches. One from my close friend who also happens to be my sister-in-law and another from my  friend Liz. Both bunches transported me back in time with memories of my childhood. The blue hydrangeas grew in a shady corner of my grand parents’ home and so did the arum lilies. The arum lilies also reminded me of my sister-in-law’s wedding bouquet.

Flowers, like smells and colours, always transport me to somewhere else and these beauties certainly not only made my house more cheerful they also brought back long lost memories. I am looking forward to returning back to our home in South Africa where I will be surrounded by the indigenous flowers and plants of South Africa. The Pin Cushions and Safari Sunsets (types of protea) are going wild at the moment as are the agapanthus and fynbos. I can’t wait for that salty- grassy smell to fill my nostrils and the colour and texture explosions in my garden to lift my spirits and fill my heart with happiness. I love my garden and spend hours on end lost in my own botanical world thinking my own thoughts and generally at peace with the world and myself.

What makes you happy?