Primula

Love these primula in my garden. Love the colour and the pom pom heads.

Candle making

Step 1: Find a teacup in a charity shop or at a car-boot sale - check it's not cracked.

Step 2: Cut a wick 2in longer than the depth of the cup. Tie one end to a pencil and rest the pencil across the cup so the wick hangs down in the centre.

Step 3: Put candle stubs or wax in an old pan. Put this in a larger pan with an inch of water in the bottom. Heat gently until the wax is liquid, then turn the heat off.

Step 4: For scented candles, add a few drops of essential oil, then pour the wax into the cup.

Step 5: Leave to harden, then trim the wick until 1cm is left. Leave for at least 24 hours before lighting.

Pansy Meaning

Pansies have long been flowers of remembrance. Indeed, they have often been placed upon memorial markers and stones to honour and remember those who are no longer on the physical plane. They are also a symbol of togetherness and union, and perhaps this is why they are so appropriate for remembering those who have passed from our lives. Their beauty is the perfect testimony to the love we have shared with others in the past. Keep pansies around you when you wish to remember the fond memories and kindnesses of loved ones who have passed from this earth.

Purple

It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind. Purple is a good colour to use in meditation. It is the colour of good judgment and is the colour of people seeking spiritual fulfillment.

Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery, as well as royalty. Being the combination of red and blue, the warmest and coolest colours, purple is believed to be the ideal colour. Most children love the colour purple. Purple is the colour most favored by artists.

Having either purple or violet as your favourite colour means you are sensitive and compassionate, understanding and supportive, thinking of others before yourself - you are the person others come to for help - being needed motivates you but sometimes people take advantage of you.

You are a gentle and free spirit. Your feelings run deep and you can be quite sensitive to hurtful comments from others, although you would never show it.

You are idealistic, and often impractical, with a great imagination, dreaming of a future in an ideal fantasy world where you exclude the ugly side of reality - you tend to look at life through rose-coloured glasses. People who don't understand you sometimes think you are eccentric because you spend so much time in your fantasy world.

Butterflies (facts)

 Butterflies taste with their feet.
Taste receptors on a butterfly's feet help it find its host plant and locate food. A female butterfly lands on different plants, drumming the leaves with her feet to make the plant release its juices. Spines on the back of her legs detect the right match of plant chemicals. When she identified the right plant, she lays her eggs. A butterfly will also step on its food, using organs that sense dissolved sugars to taste food sources like fermenting fruit.

 Butterflies live on an all-liquid diet.
Speaking of butterflies eating, adult butterflies can only feed on liquids, usually nectar. Their mouthparts are modified to enable them to drink, but they can't chew solids. A probiscus which functions as a drinking straw, stays curled up under the butterfly's chin until it finds a source of nectar or other liquid nutrition. It then unfurls the long, tubular structure and sips up a meal.

Butterflies can't fly if they're cold.
Butterflies need an ideal body temperature of about 85ºF to fly. Since they're cold-blooded animals, they can't regulate their own body temperatures. The surrounding air temperature has a big impact on their ability to function. If the air temperature falls below 55ºF, butterflies are rendered immobile, unable to flee from predators or feed. When air temperatures range between 82º-100ºF, butterflies can fly with ease. Cooler days require a butterfly to warm up its flight muscles, either be shivering or basking in the sun. And even sun-loving butterflies can get overheated when temperatures soar above 100ºF, and may seek shade to cool down.

Purple Rose Meaning

 The primary meaning of a purple rose is Enchantment. Falling in love at the very first sight creates a magnetism that inspires the giving of a purple rose. The suitor is inspired to show their affection through the giving of a special gift. Falling in love at first sight, just like Cinderella’s Prince Charming. 

The purple rose has different meanings and is a favorite among rose lovers.

The meaning for a purple rose can also be protection or paternal/material love.

Enchantment or incantation means a magical spell, charm or bewitchment.

This implies that the magic can disappear as quickly as it appeared. Any shade of purple roses exudes a sense of majestic beauty.

Royal Albert American Beauty Rose

Double, double toil and trouble

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.