
The sunflower is the Marmite of the floral world, brutally dividing those who think they are jolly marvelous, from those who think they are garish and naff.

Personally I adore them, especially as ours were lovingly sown by my small apprentices, who have been mesmerised by how quickly and loftily they've grown. We're hoping to harvest the seeds for topping bread, if the birds don't eat them all first.

I can't look at a sunflower without remembering hazy warm childhood summers in the south of France, where they grew in fields as far as the eye could see. The French call them 'tournesol', which literally means 'turn with the sun', because of the way in which the flower head follows the path of the sunlight throughout the day.

This is me in the Dordogne circa 1986, looking very much like Flora does now!
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PS thanks for all your comments on the snail experiment- since that post I haven't been able to find a single one of the 'snail-varnished' gastropods either in my garden or next door. I'm worried the red spot has ruined their camouflage and made them vulnerable to hungry blackbirds... oops!
We too have sunflowers sewn by our grandson and he thinks they are cool! I love to see them en masse...your picture shows them off perfectly.
ReplyDeleteWow, you look beautiful, that photograph should be advertising somethin french and very chic... a slight look of Bridget Bardot? Tres chic!
ReplyDeleteI adore sunflowers. We have many on our plot and at home... cant get enough. The boys are also amazed at the speed of growth & height. x
What a beautiful picture of you Charley.
ReplyDeleteI love sunflowers, but I love Marmite too. x
I am afraid I don't like marmite... but Daniel brought a sunflower home from pre-school and I potted it up and it has grown beautifully... once i get my veggie patch sorted out I will definitely plant more next year... a whole row of them I think..! :D
ReplyDeleteI love that photo of you... theres something so fresh about the old photo's... I see some pictures today that have been "tinkered" with and they look untrue... mind you the sunshine and colour is so much better in Europe...
Eglu news...We drove to South Wales Saturday and the traffic was horrible, we picked up the eglu (which only just fitted in the back of the Volvo estate and yesterday I trimmed on hedge and mowed the lawn.. Les came home from helping a mate with some mechanical problem and then put the eglu together for me... I seem to have damaged my shoulder and neck.. I hope the pain will soon pass... any who the Eglu is huge... but I have to do some paperwork for Les before I can get my chickens... its a deal we did! lol I have been stalling on doing the paperwork... I hate paperwork! ;D
x Alex