Lately...wherever I go, Lilies of the Valley are everywhere around me...They have a sweet and heady scent and every time I pass them, I take the time to bury my face in the bloom...Then I close my eyes, breath deeply and imagine the fragrance passing all through my body.
A smile on my face, sweet memories in my mind...
Do you remember the scene from Harold and Maude:
Maude - I like to watch things grow.
They grow, and bloom, and fade, and die, and change into something else!
Ah life!
I would like to change into a sunflower most of all;
they're so tall and simple.
What flower would you like to be?
Harold - I don't know...
I know! I would like to change into a lily of the valley, or "Mary's tears", or "lass's tears" most of all; they are so simple and fragile, so delicate, pure and beautiful. Somehow this plant has always touched a nostalgic chord with me, kindling a sentimental longing for the romantic past...when life was simple, humble, and poetic. If it happens that I lose my smile in a chilly spring morning, in some mysterious and fairy way, this charming bell- like flower has always kept it for me. After all, isn't it the flower of fairies which tiny bells are used as cups from which the magical nectar is drunk?! And doesn't the lily of the valley signify the Return of Happiness in the Victorian language of flowers?!
Dear friends, I hope you find lilies of the valley blooming in your garden, or in your neighbor's garden, or in the nearby park and you would stop to smell the enchanting scent ...
for
it might hold your smile.
Oh I love these photos Sylvia! Lily of the valley is so delicate, beautiful, romantic.
ReplyDeleteYOU are gifted. To be able to capture simplicity and turn it into an almost ICONIC image is a GIFT. These simple but perfect little flowers hold so much magic in them my dear, and you have captured them. What kind of flower would I like to be? A BLUE FLOWER of some kind. RARE, SURPRISING, ENCHANTING.
ReplyDeleteWOW, you really have given me such a gift today with your beauty! Have a lovely Thursday. Anita
I had to post about my Lily Of The Valley too as it grows with love in my garden. I could not be without this beautiful flower. I can recall one season when a bride was in need and I picked all of it for her wedding bouquet. Such a Victorian flower too.
ReplyDeleteVery nice..
Lilly of the valley is so delicate and sweet. Your photos are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMary Alice
Such charming photos....I love lilly of the valley! Happy weekend. Enjoy your garden
ReplyDeleteGood morning beautiful one! And to find YOUR comments is always a blessing to my heart.
ReplyDeleteIt is FRIDAY and I am very happy. :)
LOVE TO YOU, SYLVIA! Anita
Well, our Anita is indeed rare, surprising, and enchanting!! :)
ReplyDeleteDearest Sylvia, I become more and more awe-struck by your talent with every post. These images are amazingly beautiful in their simplicity and styling...they leave me emotional, they really do!!
Do you know, lily of the valley was the first fragrance I ever wore..I must have been about ten or eleven. I remember them from my days in Odessa, when every May Day the men in the family would bring these delicate blossoms to the ladies...
A heavenly scent...
I also adore peonies, and never get tired of their perfume, so I think I would be a peony!
I hope you are having a splendid weekend, beautiful friend...thank you for this stunning post.
Love and blessings,
- Irina
Great post,I really like your article
ReplyDeleteOne of my most
ReplyDeleteadored scents; right
up there with lilacs
and gardenias....and
the scent transports
me back to some of
my earliest memories.
Beautiful pics, Sylvia!
xo Suzanne
SYLVIA!
ReplyDeleteYou are back from what I am guessing was a LOVELY TRIP of beauty and rest and pure bliss. Oh how I love water but I am so afraid of it for I do not know how to swim!!!
Yes my dearest, we our on our virtual plane and are hovering over England until the weekend where we will take a detour to ITALY! teeeheee....I sure love to confabulate scenarios.
Love to you on this fine day and be well! ENJOY! Anita
Your photos are so extraordinary. We don't grow lily of the valley here. I don't know its scent. But it looks exquisite!
ReplyDeleteI love that flower! Gorgeous! Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
ReplyDeleteSherry
Dear Sylvia, this post is so lovely, you have a gift for translating simple treasures into extraordinary ones, the " lily" with the vintage post cards....so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI always treasured my few plants when gifted to me by my husband's grandmother', now they have multiplied into a lovely woodland border in my garden....one of my favorite flowers.If I had to choose which flower I would be it would be the peony....although roses are right up there also. Your blog is very special, I so enjoy reading it, a work of art! N.xo
Lily of the Valley are my favorite. We call them "Maierisli" in Swiss-German.
ReplyDelete