A sequence of entirely unconnected items

Mar 16, 2025

Flowers

For a brief, unexpected moment, summer arrived in South East England. The temperatures went up to 18 degrees, the skies were a mesmerising blue and we threw windows open to the glorious sunshine.

Then it went away again: a north-east wind began to blow and we returned to spring. No matter, we have had a taste of what’s to come (she says crossing fingers) and it’s looking good.

A friend came to stay and brought these tulips. They grew even more gorgeous as they settled into the vase, their stems drooping and flowers fully opening. What things of beauty they were, more like roses or peonies than tulips. I found myself on several occasions, staring into their blooms hoping to remember every last detail of their beautiful and complex form. How lucky we are to have phone cameras that will capture such images for perpetuity.

Names

It’s been a big weekend for rugby fans. Yesterday, Super Saturday, with three back-to-back games, ended this year’s Six Nations championship which has been running since the end of January, pitting the six teams, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy against one another. A week or so ago, we were watching Italy versus England with a friend (she of the tulips) who is new to rugby, when she piped up

“Have you noticed how lots of the Italian players’ names sound like food?”

I had just been thinking the same thing and we laughed about it as we imagined a customer ordering their meal in an Italian restaurant using six of the team surnames:

“The Fischetti sounds good, so I’ll have that to start, followed by the Rizzoli with a small side of Zilocchi, please. Then, to finish, the Cannone along with a capuozzo and a lovely, sweet, little menoncello”

As my mother would have said

“Little things please little minds……”

Oddities

Talking of little things - and Italian food - my husband sent me this message last week. It’s still making me laugh!

Roads

The roads where I live that have schools on them, are now closed to traffic during certain hours of the day to protect the children coming out of school and to make it easier for parents to collect them. Drivers ignore this ruling at their peril as hefty fines are handed out to those who transgress.

When the rule was first introduced, much complaint was made because the signs to alert motorists were so insignificant, many drove down these roads unwittingly, and received fines.

With the aim of making it clearer to everyone, new street furniture has been added. I think these roadside pencil tops are great fun and so much nicer than a run-of-the-mill sign. Thumbs up to the product designers that came up with them and the council for going the extra mile to install them!

Smells

While visiting my mother-in-law in Spain at the tail end of last year, I noticed several houses in the village where she lives, had water bottles standing outside their front doors.

“What are they for?” I asked

The answer was simple

“So dog walkers can wash away the smell when their dog pees near the doorstep”

How sensible. And how laudable that people collaborate to look after their community in such a responsible fashion.

I have just realised that, in fact, these last two random thoughts are not entirely unconnected. They are about community and how little things combine to make our neighbourhoods more pleasant places to live. We could all do with more of this.

Are there clever ideas or collaborations that improve your community you can tell us about? Feel free to comment on the above by clicking below and I shall respond

FOOTNOTE

You’re reading Home Truths, from me, Susy Smith. I write here on an eclectic mix of subjects about home and lifestyle. I am many things: a parent of grown-up kids, a dog owner, a gardener and a compulsive mover of vases (I worked for years as a stylist). I am also a writer/editor and former Editor-in-Chief of British Country Living Magazine.