I love to look out of my bathroom window in the early mornings of autumn, seeing the mist disappear as the sun comes out, and watching the green leaves of the virginia creeper turn redder by the day.
The more sun a virginia creeper gets , the redder the leaves become, and it's wonderful to see fiery reds, russet reds and every shade in between.
So why do I get the giggles every time I see a Virginia Creeper? Whether I'm walking around our village, admiring my neighbour's houses clothed in their autumnal finery
or out in the city...wherever I am, if I see a virginia creeper, my lips twitch and I'm off again, giggling away.
I blame my mother.
Mrs Malaprop, as I sometimes call her, was a character in Sheridan's play called "The Rivals" written in 1775. Like the very amusing Mrs Malaprop, Mama often uses words which don't have the meaning she intends to but sound very similar to those that do. For example, calling windscreen wipers "windowscreamers."
Amusing yes, but then at other times, there are no words to describe what happens after one of her malapropisms. Like the time at my friend's wedding. The vicar sported a very bouffant hairstyle - think Donald Trump with some backcombing. At the reception, Mama and her friends were talking...."Did you SEE his hairstyle?" one asked . "Yes!" replied my mother...."I swear he's had a .....
What she meant to say was a blow wave but what was actually said was something completely different. Of course she had no idea why there was a stunned silence and then people holding onto each other killing themselves laughing. Mama was mystified, then mortified when I had to explain.
What does this story have to do with a parthenocissus or virginia creeper, you may ask?
Well, it was a glorious September morning when my children were small. We were in North Somerset at my parents' house and the children were playing on the lawn. Jean, Mama's friend, and a very talented gardener, wandered into the garden.
"Oh," she exclaimed " the autumnal colours in your borders are lovely this year."
I could see Mama was thrilled, praise indeed . "But turn around Jean, the piece de resistance is my vaginal creeper!"
My father almost choked, Jean's mouth hung open in shock. I got the giggles, and couldn't stop. My sides ached, Jean was howling with laughter, and my father's face had turned virtually the same colour as the virgina creeper, but once again, Mama hadn't a clue what she'd said.
So if you see me giggling away to myself during the autumn and I'm near a virginia creeper, now you know why......
The more sun a virginia creeper gets , the redder the leaves become, and it's wonderful to see fiery reds, russet reds and every shade in between.
So why do I get the giggles every time I see a Virginia Creeper? Whether I'm walking around our village, admiring my neighbour's houses clothed in their autumnal finery
or out in the city...wherever I am, if I see a virginia creeper, my lips twitch and I'm off again, giggling away.
I blame my mother.
Mrs Malaprop, as I sometimes call her, was a character in Sheridan's play called "The Rivals" written in 1775. Like the very amusing Mrs Malaprop, Mama often uses words which don't have the meaning she intends to but sound very similar to those that do. For example, calling windscreen wipers "windowscreamers."
Amusing yes, but then at other times, there are no words to describe what happens after one of her malapropisms. Like the time at my friend's wedding. The vicar sported a very bouffant hairstyle - think Donald Trump with some backcombing. At the reception, Mama and her friends were talking...."Did you SEE his hairstyle?" one asked . "Yes!" replied my mother...."I swear he's had a .....
What she meant to say was a blow wave but what was actually said was something completely different. Of course she had no idea why there was a stunned silence and then people holding onto each other killing themselves laughing. Mama was mystified, then mortified when I had to explain.
What does this story have to do with a parthenocissus or virginia creeper, you may ask?
Well, it was a glorious September morning when my children were small. We were in North Somerset at my parents' house and the children were playing on the lawn. Jean, Mama's friend, and a very talented gardener, wandered into the garden.
"Oh," she exclaimed " the autumnal colours in your borders are lovely this year."
I could see Mama was thrilled, praise indeed . "But turn around Jean, the piece de resistance is my vaginal creeper!"
My father almost choked, Jean's mouth hung open in shock. I got the giggles, and couldn't stop. My sides ached, Jean was howling with laughter, and my father's face had turned virtually the same colour as the virgina creeper, but once again, Mama hadn't a clue what she'd said.
So if you see me giggling away to myself during the autumn and I'm near a virginia creeper, now you know why......
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