Snow White

A friend very kindly gave us an amaryllis bulb at Christmas time which came with its own potting compost and pot. When planted, the height was no more than a couple of centimetres above the top of the bulb. It has been in the kitchen all this time, and really, I think I could almost see it growing daily! It grew at a great rate and soon the flower buds were visible and beginning to plump out.

Over the last week or so, the buds have started to open. Today has been very sunny ( and very cold ). My kitchen and dining room face south - west and this afternoon I placed the pot on the table in the sunlight, for photographic purposes. The petals are many and extremely beautiful. The sunlight was all the light needed - this blip is not taken with flash.

I first came across amaryllis flowers in Saudi Arabia when we lived in Jubail. I thought them very lovely, and since then we have had an amaryllis in the house at this time of year. In case you wonder where on earth I found an amaryllis in the desert, well, it is not a very romantic tale. The bulbs came over from Holland in the dredge boats and could be found in the expat shop in our compound! The shop was a source of all sorts of nice things but sadly not any bacon or cadbury chocolate.