if of thy mortal goods...

my delightful friend pauline, who lives in henley near ipswich, loves flowers. so, when I wanted to show my appreciation for her unbounded hospitality, i snuck off during a visit to tesco’s, or sainsbury’s, or safeway, or wherever, and purchased a bunch of tulips – how fitting! – to grace her home. the selection was lamentable, and the bouquet i ended up buying was extremely meager and extremely makeshift, and cost more than five pounds. i was chagrined. we are spoiled in holland. for much less we can feed our souls with flowers like these:

minor works of art, creative, colourful, bound by twine and tender hands….