I keep thinking the last summer zinnia has been cut and then more materialized. The fat lady did not sing, just yet. I am wondering if this is an American saying meaning, more or less, not quite finished or if it is used elsewhere. I thought it came from Yogi Berra, an American icon and baseball coach, who also said “it ain’t over til it’s over”. Then, I read about a Wagnerian opera where Brunnhilde (apparently a large woman) sings at the end. I suppose opera is a bit more cultural than baseball and the latter is the most likely source.
More things to ponder while weeding.
The vase details:
Repeat offenders from last week in pink, ZinMaster Zinnias and Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus). White flowers are “Miss Alice” Bougainvillea, a few Sweet Begonias (B. odorata “Alba”) and Salvia coccinea. The foliage is Turkeytangle Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) it has little white flowers as well. Yellow flowers are Golden Thyrallis (Galphimia glauca) The vase is a cobalt blue bowl.
It’s still raining here and slowly cooling off. Slowly is the operative word. I have tiny papayas in the garden and the tomato seedlings are up. Winter is forecast as cooler and wetter. It’s usually our dry season, so it should be interesting to see how gardening goes.
Thanks to Cathy for conceiving and continuing to host IAVOM. Visit her blog by following this link to see more vases http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com
Ooh, I love this arrangement and color combination! Bright candy pink, white with a touch of yellow setting off the anthers on the zinnias. Perfection! 👏🏼
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Thanks, Eliza.
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tee hee – turkeytangle frogfruit. That is still amusing.
I always believed that the fat lady was Brunhilda.
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I agree. It seems Brunhilde is the fat lady.
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I think it was opera. I never thought of using coral vine in an arrangement. It looks great.
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LOL, my husband said baseball! The Coral Vine is actually a good cut flower and lasts in a Vase.
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Good to know.
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That saying really captures the feeling here, too, with different weather conditions and plant yields, for sure. For us, the garden’s fat lady immediately stops singing with the first hard freeze. She might sing softly a bit after the first frost, and her ghost continues through the winter, but the aria usually ends sometime in late October to early November. That’s when I really appreciate your blog! And your arrangement is stunning, as always. ❤
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Fat ladies sing in the UK too, Amelia, so it is highly likely to derive from opera rather than baseball 👍 I love your vase today, and it’s such a pastelly change from your usual more tropical colours. I do love that coral vine – what a pretty asset to have😊
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Oh, that is interesting. Thank you, it’s a nice change to pastels.
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Ha! It feels like the saying about the “fat lady” has been around forever but I looked it up and the first published reference is attributed to 1976. Your pretty pink flowers are wonderful and a great nod to the saying. In my own case, I’m feeling the first signs of the seasonal shift but it’s still too early for us to count summer over as we often receive a whiplash or two before Mother Nature puts a real stop to summer.
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Whiplash! I love it.
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Very pretty.
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Thank you
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You’re welcome.
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What a pretty vase with those soft colours. Not as tropical looking this week. 😉 Pink and yellow go so well together. I love everything about it Amelia! I am not familiar with that saying, but fat ladies does sound more like opera to me. I must look it up.
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Thanks, Cathy. I am not an opera fan!
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