Littlest Granddaughter has a lot of books in which American children set up lemonade stalls. This isn't a thing here, but she likes the idea and persuaded Daughter 2 to let her set up a table with cakes in the front garden. It rained a bit, but she persisted for a while, despite the fact that she lives in a very quiet street without many passing pedestrians. However, she managed to sell five cakes, and was pleased. The power of literature! I read American books as a child too, though there weren't all that many books for children then, compared to now. One I loved was "Thimble Summer" by Elizabeth Enwright. I loved the description of no rain (a foreign concept for a British person) and then the rain coming. And I remember Kewpie dolls being prizes, I think, at a fair. I had no idea what these were (I did look them up on Google once Google was a thing) but it didn't matter. Apart from that, I think the only American books available were the "What Katy Did" ones and the "Little Women" ones. I was - probably still am - quite influenced by Cousin Helen's maxim that everything and everyone has a rough and a smooth handle. I don't think it's made me quite as saintly as her, though.
My snowdrop is yellow, by the way, to the extent that the bit behind the white petals is yellow, not the usual green. I think this yellow bit is the ovary. It's expensive because it's quite unusual.
Do snowdrops happen in Australia? New Zealand? The US?
It's been an uneventful week here, though not at all in the rest of the world. Urgh. Might the world be better without men??? Well no, but it's always men who start wars, isn't it? Just a few, horrible men.
Meanwhile, I've managed to do a bit of gardening this week. Don't know how to eliminate the nasty men, so have been cutting down last year's herbaceous growth instead. Sadly, my left hip has been quite sore. I got my right one replaced a couple of years ago, but the left one has now gone, and because of the waiting lists for the NHS, I think it'll be well into next year before I have it done. The NHS is great, in that it will be free. But sadly there are too many crumbling oldies like me. I could pay and get it privately but that would cost £20,000. We'll see! It's nothing compared to what's happening in other places, but it's been a very mild winter with hardly any frost, so the weeds have been growing and I need to stop them in their tracks, hip or no hip.
I know what you mean about mean men. I'm living in it, with it, can't avoid the devil. And when you think about them, our aches and pains pale in comparison. We returned from a trip to London area and were amazed at the blooming flowers at the end of January. It looked like Easter time here.
ReplyDeleteMen with too much power are causing the rest of us grief and stress. I'm sorry that they're (mostly) from my country. :( To have a hip replaced here would probably cost at least 5 times that amount. And our insurance situation is a mess. I've never seen a snowdrop here although my Canadian blogger friends talk about them.
ReplyDeleteThe expensive snowdrop is very pretty. I wouldn't dare buy that as it would be bound to die on me.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Katy did series and, of course, Little Women. Anne of Green Gables was a favourite, too, though she was Canadian.
Yes New Zealand has snowdrops ...usually before the daffs and jonquils. We also had kewpie dolls I think.....naked pink celluloid with their thumb in their mouth.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you didn't say the names of any of the men who start wars. If they were nameless more often it might make them think twice....fat chance.