Wednesday, July 31, 2013

SUNFLOWER TALES 


Sunflowers originate from North America but would travel to the Old World and back – and back again - in their centuries old journey to become the plant we know today. They were probably one of the first crops to be grown in the Americas. Before this they were picked by hunter gatherers as a natural source of fat. The seeds could be ground up and mixed with flour to make bread much like the pita variety we eat today. Around five thousand years ago people began to farm them in the south-western parts of North America in what is now Mexico. As they were cultivated over the generations the plants were encouraged to produce ever bigger seeds – and many more of them as well. So, the sunflower we have now bears no resemblance to how it started out as the human race has interfered with its characteristics for all these thousands of years.
It has been suggested that the sunflower was even domesticated before corn. It was during this time that the Cherokee and other Native Americans also began to farm sunflowers. They became an important part of the diet of these peoples as a good source of fat – which hunter gatherer societies needed to supplement the lean meat they would eat. Down south in Mexico the Aztecs were also cultivating the plant but also they also worshipped it. In their temples to the sun, the priestesses would wear headdresses made of sunflowers to give themselves the air of the divine. The past of the sunflower, then, already reveals some ‘secrets’.

Yet no one would have guessed what the future of the sunflower held – and the travels it would endure.

As today, the sunflower seed was cracked and snacked on - something you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite - albeit a much healthier snack than many we eat today. There are early records of the oil being squeezed and used to make bread too. However, the sunflower was not only a food source. It was used to create a dye of a purple color which was used then to enhance clothing, paint bodies and decorate objects. Other parts of the plant were used to make medicinal remedies for snake bites and ointments. The seed oil was used to lubricate hair and skin. As ancient societies could not afford to waste anything the stalks were dried and then used as a building material.



Wednesday, July 17, 2013

FIGI HONEYMOON

                           
                                  FIGI HONEYMOON

 Fiji would have to be the ideal location for a romantic getaway.
  • secluded resorts including couples/honeymoon resorts
  • beautiful unspoilt nature including diving
  • all year exotic weather
  • scrumptious fresh food
  • the friendliest people
It's paradise.
However the one drawback would be that Fiji, price-wise, generally is a mid-range upwards location. You can do it on the cheap but generally speaking the majority of options are mid-range and above.
Top-end options are truly world class. If you can do a luxury honeymoon, don't hesitate. You won't be disappointed.
Fiji is well renown for it's stunning beaches, fantastic diving, unspoilt nature, and year round warm weather. That's not even the best part. It is how friendly Fijians are, it's unmatched anywhere in the world.
There would not be too many places around the that could do an exotic, secluded honeymoon better than Fiji. Certain resorts target the couples market, and therefore, have adults-only resorts to ensure privacy. If you have money to burn, and let's face it, your honeymoon is the definition of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, then Fiji does luxury honeymoons exceptionally well.
Within these couples-only resorts, there's romantic activities to die for. One of the favourites would have to be the trip to a deserted atoll or beach for a champagne picnic for the day. That memory would last lifetime. Dinner on the beach, or next to a waterfall, or dinner on a pontoon on the ocean are all examples that some resorts offer. And by the way, food in Fiji is absolutely amazing. The reviews will tell you that.
The recommendation, for your honeymoon in Fiji, is to get to a couples-only resort, which means your 'bure' often right on the beach, will ensure absolutely privacy and seclusion. That by itself, is hard to beat.


LOOK OUT I'M HUNGRY


                                                     LOOK OUT I AM HUNGRY

A hungry fly darts through the pines in North Carolina. Drawn by what seems like the scent of nectar from a flowerlike patch of scarlet on the ground, the fly lands on the fleshy pad of a ruddy leaf. It takes a sip of the sweet liquid oozing from the leaf, brushing a leg against one tiny hair on its surface, then another. Suddenly the fly's world has walls around it. The two sides of the leaf are closing against each other, spines along its edges interlocking like the teeth of a jaw trap. As the fly struggles to escape, the trap squeezes shut. Now, instead of offering sweet nectar, the leaf unleashes enzymes that eat away at the fly's innards, gradually turning them into goo. The fly has suffered the ultimate indignity for an animal: It has been killed by a plant.

Monday, July 15, 2013

WEDDING TOASTS

                                    WEDDING TOASTS 
Sam Keen
You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.

Khalil Gibran
And think not, you can direct the course of love; for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

David Myers
For those passionately in love, the whole world seems to smile.

Victor Hugo
The most powerful symptom of love is a tenderness which becomes at times almost insupportable.

Elizabeth Bowen
When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

www.sunglowflowers.com


EARLY AUTUMN SPENDOR



                                    A nice mixture of  burnt oranges and rust Bridal Bouquet.
                                       The green Bells of Ireland set the rusty tones apart.