I’ve been watching the peonies for weeks, waiting for that burst of color when the flowers are in full bloom. They’ve been teasing me for ages and I didn’t want to miss them.
They are only in perfect bloom for literally a day or two before they swoon, the petals fall off and they look sad and forlorn. (Which makes me feel sad and forlorn.) But, finally the moment had come when I could take in the full splendor of them.
I had a nice moment with a quick mug of tea and a sit down, while enjoying the Peony display in the front garden. I like to use Taylors of Harrogate – Yorkshire Tea tea bags, when I’m having my tea in a mug. It’s a good, flavorful tea and it’s happy to be joined by soy milk and one sugar. Just the way I like it.
On Sunday, some new friends came over and brought with them an incredible Red Velvet Cake from Balducci’s. It was my first, even though I had heard a lot about it. I did some research and found the cake is essentially a chocolate one and that the distinctive red color is made by adding red food coloring to the cocoa powder. (During rationing in WWII boiled beets were used – how clever.) An interesting chemical reaction occurs though, between acidic vinegar and buttermilk, that draws out the red anthocyanin in the cocoa. Anyway, it was scrummy and I am now a fan.
To extend the life of the peonies ever further, I put them in a tall vase in the kitchen. The smell was divine, but they only lasted about forty eight hours. So when they no longer looked their best and the petals started to fall, I pulled them all off and put them in a bowl in the bathroom, to capture the scent. Ah…truly a lovely and short lived bloom, but I really enjoyed them while they were here.
