Corpse Flower in bloom

Pretty exciting stuff this: amorphophallus titanum or titanum arum is the largest flower in the world. Also known as the Corpse Flower for the aroma of rotting flesh it gives off when in bloom, it is native to Sumatra. The plants blossom very infrequently, and when they do, the flower only lasts for a couple of days before collapsing. The flower can reach over 10ft in height, the leaf structure 20ft tall and nearly as much wide.


Here is a link to a live shot of a bud at Cornell University which is likely to open up in the next few days. It is growing about 2 inches a day, and on March 13th measured 57 inches long.


Thanks to Kathrin at annekata for the link. You can also see some lovely pics of civil war quilts in the same post.

Waiting

for spring

for baby to arrive

for healing

for my husband to quit snoring so I can sleep

I am in a slightly shadowy place at the moment. Spending time thinking and listening to my heart today, as it has been neglected for the past few ill weeks/months. Will be back with more energy soon.

This list of quotes about seeing is interesting.

These mandalas are amazing.

Reading a biography of Iris Murdoch by Peter J. Conradi through the small sleepless hours, found an interesting review of the book from 2001.

Crazy limbo time

I keep starting this post and not getting further than the first couple of words. Maybe today I'll finish it. I am in the third trimester, final weeks crazy limbo of

Finding a squillion unimportant little things that suddenly really seem like they need urgent attention (like painting out chipped paint on the stair walls)

Packing the hospital bag, just in case; then unpacking it a few times because I've forgotten what's in it 

Getting baby clothes out of storage then worrying about whether there are enough (there are BOXES of baby clothes in the cupboards - third baby girl ain't never gonna be short of clothes!!)

Snapping at Jude for tiny misdemeanours, like using the wrong cloth on the kids faces, or leaving leftover food in the oven for me to discover a few days later, then expecting him to do all the DIY jobs round the house that REALLY NEED DOING (not).

Cleaning everything that stays put longer than 20 seconds

Mad sleepless at 3am tidying missions (the kitchen has never looked so neat)

Re-hanging curtains, clearing cobwebs, usual Spring clearing, but done at a manic - gotta get this done -  pace: OK that's done.... NEXT!

On the down side, I am STILL ill: now in the seventh (!) week of a foul cold with viral sinusitis thrown in (hence the sleepless nights - haven't slept properly now for months); I have Braxton Hicks throughout the day and am finding everything exhausting; on top of this I also had a brief vomiting bug, which along with the morning sickness I've had throughout this pregnancy meant I wasn't able to keep any food down for a week, which I'm still recovering from. 

The joy! The joy of pregnancy! I never EVER want to be pregnant again.