Saturday, January 16, 2010

Paperwhites: Sky Searching in the Winter Light



These photos capture the emergence of the first blooms on my little vase of paperwhites.



This was a new experiment for me and so much simpler than I imagined.



They grew so fast I thought if I sat there long enough I might even see them begin to unfurl.



I was mesmerized by those long, elegant stems of purest spring green



and the cheerful little white flowers won me over.


They opened with such grace


and charmed everyone in the house with their promise of sweeter days ahead.


The flowers of late winter and early spring
occupy places in our hearts
well out of proportion to their size.


~Gertrude S. Wister


[NB: The guest visitor in the last photo is Bob. He is the quiet, sensitive one who loves music and philosophy. :-)]

15 comments:

Carol said...

Sweet! Lovely photos. I love the fragrance.

miss m said...

Good gosh, they've grown tremendously ! They're gorgeous !

I'm glad to hear the service went well. You must be relieve this significant part is over.

Your guest is adorable. Does he visit often ?

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Beautiful post, I was thinking about you today, I hope you are doing ok. White narcissus are so crisp and lovely, & the quote is so very true.

Anonymous said...

I stumbled across your blog via Anna's 'Green Tapestry' and have immediately put myself as a 'Follower'.

Your sequence of pictures is enchanting. They alone have brightened up a rather dismal day. As for Bob, I should love to steal him particularly as I lost my own Cat after twelve years just before Christmas. Your photographs make me believe that spring must be just around the corner.

I shall look forward to your future postings.

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

I do love paperwhites. Back in the day when dried arrangements were popular, we would use them, they dry very well.

RURAL said...

Bob looks like he really has learned to appreciate the paperwhites.

What a great quote, so true.

Jen

sweetbay said...

Lovely pictures. I love paperwhites but my husband is one of the haters -- he can't stand the fragrance. lol I love it. How are you doing?

The Giraffe Head Tree said...

Paperwhites are my favorite bulbs. Now I'm in love with another blog-cat, Bob. Not being able to have a cat I love visiting my blogging friends felines - Bob's been added to my list.

Anna said...

Great photos and quote but the star of the show has got to be Bob- he looks a gentle and loving soul!

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Carol: Hi! And thank you for stopping by. This is my first venture with paperwhites and, yes, I think they are so sweet. I will certainly be doing this again.

Miss M: I can’t believe how fast they grew as I just started them after Christmas and the instructions said 4 to 6 weeks. I am glad we finally had the service as it was a real strain to do all that planning while under such duress. I think my Dad would have been both proud and humbled by the service and it offered comfort to all of us as well. Bob is a first time visitor to this blog but a cherished resident at our house. We have another charming cat I will have to post soon as well.

Rebecca: Thank you for your kind thoughts. I think it will take some time to be able to look ahead and not carry this heaviness in my heart. These little flowers have charmed me. The fact that they grow so fast provides much need gratification at this time of year.

Edith: Welcome! I am sorry to hear about your cat. It’s so hard to lose a pet after such a long time with them. My first cat grew up with me and passed away at 16 years. I cried my eyes out. We are having an exceptionally mild January here so it does feel like spring is just around the corner – and I will keep telling myself that!

Deborah: They dry as well? Wow, these are winners in my book. I am completely charmed by them.

MBD: (Jen) Bob is romantic little soul – he does like flowers :-)

Sweetbay: Thank you for thinking of me. I am not sure how that space that my Dad left will ever be filled. I can’t really look ahead yet to not having him here. The service did really offer comfort, though, and it brought our family all together for the first time in ages so it was good to hug and be close with everyone.

GHT: I shall pass along to Bob that he has a fan. He will probably blush :)

Anna: Bob is a gentle and loving little kitty. He is so sensitive, he gets upset if our toddler is upset and runs to me to “fix it”. I will tell him he is now an international star and he will go hide under the bed.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...I've seen those somewhere before.

Ours have been blooming for about a week now, but the cat shows little interest. Bob must be more cultured.

Elan Morgan said...

I just wanted to let you know that this weblog has been nominated in the Art & Photography and Gardening categories of the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards: http://www.canadianweblogawards.com/

Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Watching your paperwhites unfurl with such romantic photos was a thrill for me this morning! I can hardly wait for spring and oh how I wish I had brought some (any) bulbs in for early forcing!

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Cameravoyages: Yes, this is the season for paperwhites, isn’t it? Yours are stunning. As for Bob, he is the cultured one in our household – he reminds me of Ratty from Wind in the Willows. :)

Schmutzie: Thank you for letting me know. Wow – I am honoured! I took a peek at the site, what a great idea to showcase Canadian blogs of all genres. Good for you! I will post the badges on my sidebar shortly. Wish me luck ;-)

An Artists Garden: Aren’t they romantic? I am so going to do this again. Who knew it was so easy??

Victoria said...

What a gorgeous post! Now I too am mesmerized by these white majestic beauties! Hello Sweet Bob..what a cute kitty!Beautiful photos..beautiful post!
Kiki~