Earlier in the week, a friend Claire phoned to say that her elderly neighbour, Eunice, was finally moving out of her cottage after 55 years. Her husband had died about 8 years ago and Eunice now needed the support of her daughter and son in law.
Eunice's husband used to exhibit Sweet Peas and Chrysanthemums at local and national shows. In fact she proudly mentioned that he won a Bronze at the National Sweet Pea Show in the 60's, no mean feat. The shed at the bottom of the garden was full of all his paraphernalia of industrious enthusiasm which, was in danger of becoming landfill if not found a new home.
Claire wondered if I might be able to use these wonderful Sweet Pea exhibition vases and I immediately said yes. I took Eunice an enormous bunch of Sweet Peas and her eyes lit up as she recognised familiar varieties of a flower that she knew so intimately. She pointed to a stool in the immaculate, untouched, original 50's kitchen with it's sky blue, curved melanamin cupboards and told me how her husband used to sit for hours before a show straightening the petals on his unruly Chrysanthemums and how there would be flowers all over the house carefully placed at different temperatures in order to slow or quicken their development. She also offered me a small leather pencil case whose zip was rusted shut which contained the little tools and brushes he would use to groom his flowers on the show bench. As I took them from her hands , I wanted to turn her kitchen clock back and have him sit there again.
I promise to look after them for you Eunice and who knows, maybe the show bench might beckon some time in the future.
