Tuesday,

In Today's Issue

The Serial - Hat Box - Part 2
Dead or Alive
International Water a Flower Day.
Flowers
Answer

Something NEW.....

Recently I was approached by my local museum to provide a piece regarding their
collection of vintage hats. They wanted something to use on their web site and with
the display.

I came up with a little story.

Rather than publishing it on here in one big chunk.
I've decided to break it down to short manageable pieces so you
can enjoy a brief read.

Hope you enjoy.....

Hat Box

by Neville Raper

May 2017

Part 2

The whole wall collapsed upon him, buried in storage,  as if this wasn’t bad enough,  a split second later, the dust followed it..........

Rob laid where he was for a few minutes, waiting for any injury to manifest itself.  After feeling no real pain, or the wetness of blood, he sat up.He checked himself, particularly his bare legs below his old cargo shorts.To his relief, the boxes all appeared to be as light as the first and fell off him easily.

One of the cardboard containers had tipped over, and the contents had fallen out. A hat.

Rob picked it up and looked at it. A straw boater in excellent condition, in fact, it looked almost new.

The straw woven into the construction was bright and fresh with an aroma of sweetness. The band that ran around the crown was bright blood red. The hat showed no sign of age.

Rob did what most people would do in this situation; he popped it on. Immediately, he felt a shift in his equilibrium. A smell of wet vegetation assaulted his senses, and he could hear the drone of summer insects close to his ears.

His arms ached from exertion, and a trickle of sweat ran down his back. Rob looked into his hands and could see the shadow of something substantial there. He squinted and could make out what appeared to be handles of oars.

He felt the resistance of liquid weight,ebbing and flowing. Suddenly a voice made him start. Another shadow manifested itself about two metres away. The image wavered and wained like the water he could feel flowing past his arms. He focused, and beautiful young woman crept into view. Like a portrait looked at through a rain soaked window, she seemed to warp and run.

“Oh Bertie, what a wonderful day for an aquatic adventure”.

Rob snatched off the boater; reality snapped back into full fact focus. He reached up and touched his face; it was covered in a thick layer of dust. Rob used his T-Shirt to rub some of it off.........

Part 3 tomorrow...

Dead or Alive

Another little quiz for you.....

Here's someone quite famous....

50/50 chance, are they Dead or Alive ??

Today its Windsor Davies.

Windsor a British actor who is best known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.

Born 28 Aug 1930.

Simple Question.....is Windsor... DEAD OR ALIVE ?? ( answer below )

International Water a Flower Day

Yay ! though given the UK climate, we tend to have nature do this for us...... every day !

The best way to celebrate Water a Flower Day is by giving all of your household and garden plants a lovely drink. Scientific studies show that gently stroking them promotes growth... I sing to mine.

I must admit, I'm not a great gardener, when I bought tulips, I wondered what wattage they were.....

Flower Facts...

In 17th Century Holland, Tulip bulbs were more valuable than gold! The flower symbolized immortality, life and love. In 1630’s a kind of frenzy for tulips occurred in Western Europe named “Tulip mania” and tulips became so expensive as to be treated as a form of currency.Tulips lifespan is very short, being 3 to 7 days.

Gas Plant or the Burning Bush as it is sometimes called, earned it's name because it's leathery green leaves, flowers and seed pods give off a strong lemon scented vapor which, on a calm summer night can be ignited with a match

Flowers of bamboo are rarely seen. Some species of bamboo develop flowers after 65 or 120 years. Interesting fact about flowering is that all plants of one bamboo species develop flowers at the same time, no matter where they are located in the world.

The lotus was considered a sacred flower by ancient Egyptians and was used in burial rituals. This flower blooms in rivers and damp wetlands, but may lie dormant for years during times of drought, only to rise again with the return of water. Egyptians viewed it as a symbol of resurrection and eternal life. While others view the flower as a symbol of beauty, grace, purity and serenity.

The Agave, also known as the century plant spends many years without growing any flowers, after which it grows one single bloom and dies.This phenomenon is called being monocarpic. 

Roses are related to apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears and almonds.

Titan Arum are the world’s largest flower; the circumference of their huge flowers can be over three metres and they stand three metres high with a single leaf able to grow to the size of a small tree. Due to its horrible smell of rotten flesh, it is also known as corpse flower. 

Dead or Alive.

Today's star is Windsor Davies.

I asked a simple question...... is Windsor,,,,, DEAD OR ALIVE ??

Did you get it ??

Windsor is alive and well at 86 !

Well that's it..

see you tomorrow for part 3 of Hat Box

I leave you with a song.

Windsor Davies and Don Estelle

Whispering Grass Released in 1975 !! 

42 Years Old !!! eeeeeeek