Monday, June 14, 2010

Sweet William - 22 months

I brought my Sweet William over when I moved to Rolls Road in October 2008. It was still in the little pot which it was seeded in for a few months, the poor thing. It grew quite a lot as it was straining out of its perch so I hijacked one of the hanging pots outside my door (which had nothing it in - guess the previous inhabitant died) in hope that it would have a little place to grow.

It's been developing into this green mess. This is how it looks like outside my door -



And that's how it looks like every day, every evening and every morning, day-in, day-out. It blends into the background and every day life (sometimes I forget to water it). Occasionally when I come home from work I wondered if it was ever going to flower. It never did.

My surmise was that

a. it was still too young
b. the soil was infertile
c. the seeds are a dud

or maybe a combination of two or more factors. I mean, I still water it (and I give it more water than the other two plants outside the door which probably belonged to the previous tenants of the place just because it's mine) and sometimes I don't until I see it turning a little yellow and thirsty and then I hurry to the tap to get a little H2O and dump some water in the pot. I've even started seeding another little pot of Sweet William but that one died at my window sill because I forgot to water it.

So it sits there every day, every evening and every morning, day-in and day-out.
Until yesterday I noticed that it's been growing flowers (the sneaky little thing)!



I mean it's nothing like the picture on the packet which looks like this

but I'm happy for the flowers that it's yielding. I'm quite proud of my little Sweet William (Well done boy!). Despite them being tiny flowers I'm feeling pretty grateful. It's funny how life gives you a nice surprise when you least expect it to.

Now I have been harboring feelings for a certain person for about the same amount of time but that hasn't yielded any thing. Maybe

a. the relationship is premature
b. the conditions are not right
c. the seed is a dud

Should I take a lesson from Sweet William? But plants are not people and people are not plants. Maybe I should just grow plants instead - heck at least after 22 months, the plant yielded some flowers. Yeah, I'm picturing a little old spinster lady with her plants, baking cakes and scones and listening to sad Carpenter's songs like this one:



I'm doing all three pretty well now (heavens and horrors )... at this rate who knows what I'm capable of when I reach that age.

6 comments:

Jiann Chyuan said...

Wow, I never know you have been living in Rolls Road for 22 months! Is it how long we have known each other? Time really flies swiftly.

But Fiona, 22 months is not a short time to cultivate a feeling that seems to not generate any return. Men, in my opinion, are generally bullshit. They are so afraid of committing to something serious. And they surely are not plants, there is no guarantee to flowering even when you dedicate yourself to watering. Have you ever consider perhaps they are the ones saying goodbye to love before you?

Focus on yourself and you will glow and sparkle. Men, again in my opinion, share the same fondness of women in sparkling diamond, but in a female form.

Fiona1 said...

I think it was 21 months that I've known you- I think you came to stay with me in East Acton in September and I planted the plant in August 2010.

So my watering has come to nought but at least our friendship has blossomed:)

Fiona1 said...

correction August 2008

Amy said...

I agree with Jiann-focus on yourself. You know, one of my friends once told me- you should love yourself first, before you can love others. So, make yourself happy first. A happy person can then can make another person happy.

Fiona1 said...

Haha speak for yourself first

Amy said...

haha, I always try to do so (though I know sometimes it is easier said than done),that's why I am sharing with you. Also, you heard this many times from your friends, but I would like to quote again, "Fiona, Move on!"