Thursday, September 1, 2011

It's Spring!

Funny how that works. While slogging for hours through my environmental economics, I forgot something very important about my own environment.

Today is September 1st, Spring Day in South Africa.  

And this is one of the flowers I associate with it:

Now you might think it strange that I think about Arum Lillies on Spring day, but it's a tradition at one of the male residences (almost like a frat house) to go out to the wetlands nearby and "steal" arum lillies on the night of 31 August.

On Spring Day they give hundreds of them away to girls passing by. Silly, yes, but I've loved Arum Lillies since I grew up on the first farm in the world to breed these:


So to me, after years watching people revere these flowers, the fact that people could just go out to where they grew naturally and pick them filled me with wonder and joy.

I'm smiling now, thinking of it.

See you all on Monday! Tomorrow is another installment of GPF.

22 comments:

  1. Hi good to be here, exactly in time, Lovely pics is that a painting? the first pic, second one of course looks natural, hi hi
    I am posting this into my scoop it page
    best regard
    p v

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  2. I am sorry, Here is the link to scoop it
    best
    http://www.scoop.it/t/planet-earth-environment-and-global-warming/p/417816493/my-first-book-it-s-spring

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  3. Beautiful flowers. I love springtime. We're heading into autumn up here, and although I like autumn fine, spring is my favorite season. :)

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  4. How interesting that you grew up on a lily farm! They are so beautiful. I wish it were spring here, a wet one.

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  5. Smiles and hugs to you! I'll be away for two weeks starting Saturday, Sept. 3rd. I'll post and read if I can.

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  6. That's a lovely story. I'd say it's romantic but lilies keel me in the allergy department.

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  7. Your spring means the fall is upon me. I don't like fall. However, I have to get through this winter in order to get to 2012 and be that much closer to my publication date.

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  8. It feels like spring in Florida too...or well, closer to spring. No, correction. It still feels like summer. *sigh*

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  9. Pretty!

    It's almost fall here in the US, and in my state it's getting cooler... so funny to be on the opposite end of the spectrum!

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  10. Pretty!

    It's almost fall here in the US, and in my state it's getting cooler... so funny to be on the opposite end of the spectrum!

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  11. It's fun to think that the end of summer for us in the US is the beginning of spring for you!

    haha, I think that's a cute tradition. I can see why you'd like the Arum lilies. They are rather beautiful.

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  12. Aww -- that sounds so fun...it's fallish and hot here topside -- lol but at least we have no tornados for the moment -- grin.

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  13. It sounds like a fun tradition. :)

    They're beautiful flowers!

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  14. Happy Spring! For me, this time of year means winter is getting closer and I hate the cold and the snow. Bleck!

    Those flowers are so beautiful. They might just be my new favorite? Do they smell as amazing as they look?

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  15. Yeah it's about to be fall here in the US so everything will start dying off soon, just as yours is coming to life...and the cycle goes on.

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  16. Ah, beautiful flowers for beautiful girls. A lovely tradition.
    I wish we were moving into spring.

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  17. Happy Spring Day.
    It's spring here in Australia too. Yay!

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  18. Isn't that funny how you can be so entrenched in one thing that another passes you buy completely?

    The flower is beautiful, and thank you for sharing a South African tradition with your readers. :)

    Happy Spring to you!

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  19. I love springtime - all that new life. Unfortunately, it's the start of autumn here :(

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  20. Beautiful flowers! I think it would be lovely to just travel around to where it's spring- catching the spring flowers in all the parts of the world! Have a nice weekend!

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  21. Oh what a lovely tradition! I hadn't heard of it before. Spring, my goodness - we're coming into autumn up here. I'm not ready for the cold!

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