A Special Request

 Hello friends, hope you are all well.

 

There are three people who mean the world to me,

facing some health challenges at this time.

I look up to the wide, spectacular sky,

asking God to give them strength,

and down to the flourishing earth, 

where new growth grants me hope.

I believe in the power of prayer, positive energy 

and good wishes, and I ask you to please keep 

my three loved ones in your thoughts.

Thank you.

Wishing you 
a lovely weekend,

xo

Poppy

Shelf Life

Hello, everyone, Happy April!

Can you guess what I've been doing?

Yup, taking more pics of wildflowers, but

this time, I thought I'd bring some home

 to create a cheery, spring vignette.

 

I needed to sweeten the kitchen,

with something other than the aroma of baked goodies

- my cozy, wintry pastime that packed on a few pounds!

 Voilà! A fresh buffet of eye candy, 

pretty and completely calorie free!

I simply cannot get enough of these daisies. They're my

 custom concoction of Vitamin C, (that's 'c' for Cuties),

but these lovelies are also a by-product of Vitamin D - 

sunny skies, that in turn, encourage aerobic exercise.

The effect on my physique is not yet evident; for that, I'll

 have to wait, unlike the instant results on my kitchen shelf,

 where rows and rows of springtime petals managed to

lighten my spirit and plant a warm smile on my face.

 Now that winter's technically over, 

what melts your heart about spring?

Thanks for visiting!

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Poppy 

Sharing at:

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Mosaic Monday

Amaze Me Monday

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Tuesdays at Our Home

Home Sweet Home 

Saturday Sparks

Aglow in Yellow

It's the last week of March and the Cretan countryside is aglow in yellow. Above, clouds covered the sun, seconds before I took this photo, but the round, cheery flowers, like millions of little light bulbs, brightened the scene for me, so that I could capture the tiny church in all its radiant illumination.

This blossoming pear tree is one

 of many in the immediate vicinity. 

Its silky, white flowers are a soft contrast to the yellow 

  saturation that dominates the petal population at present.

These adorable daisies arrived in patches about a week ago. They're the first bunch of beauties I encounter on my walk around the village. Don't they look like those animated suns in kids' drawings? I can almost see their sweet, smiley faces and hear their childlike voices bidding me 'Good morning' in unison. 

'Good morning, daisies'.

Meanwhile, white mustard (Sinapsis alba L, belonging to the Brassicaceae family) is at its peak right now. I read here, that, 'while the table condiment mustard does indeed come from the mustard seed, the leaves, flowers, seed pods and roots are also edible.'. The young leaves, in particular, are used to flavour mixed salads.

I have been wandering through meadows of these lemony toned lovelies for years; who knew that they are packed with a peppery spice and provide a host of therapeutic qualities from treating ailments like bronchitis and pneumonia to alleviating arthritis?!

Indoors, a favourite flower of mine, my beloved freesia, take centre stage on a doily that resembles yet another sun, this one lacy and delicate. This fragrant posy is part of a bigger bouquet given to me by my sweet friend, Fotini, for my birthday, last week. She has several pots blooming on her balcony. Interestingly, her name, 'Fotini' is derived from the Greek, φως (phos), meaning 'light'. This bunch so beautifies the house with its glowing, yellow bulb-like petals and that scent!

 

And thank you, my sweet readers for visiting
   and for all of your thoughtful birthday wishes!
Have a wonderful week!

xoxo
Poppy 

Sharing at:
The Art of Home-making Mondays
Amaze Me Monday
Inspire Me Monday
Mosaic Monday
Tuesdays at Our Home
Home Sweet Home
Feathered Nest Friday