Singing, playing, rescuing

As planned yesterday I did some singing last evening. Some of the time I sang the recorder pieces I'd been playing -- it's a whole lot easier to sing trills than play them on the recorder -- and I remembered one of my song favorites back when I was getting voice coaching, "Que ne puis-je la Fougere".

I found various arrangements on YouTube, and the words, too, which helped. After a few scales and vocalises, I tried it, and a lot of the rust left my voice. It was great. Check it out if you want to know what I'm talking about. Music of Pergolesi, old French poem.

Played recorder too, but I love the sensation of singing.

And then there's the story of a gardening success and a total miss.

Here, left, is the primula, which I thought would be a one season plant. But I repotted it, tended it over the winter after flowering was finished, and it's coming back in triumph.

Then, right, is what remains of the Vicks plant which I was given a couple of years ago as a cutting, nurtured it, it flourished outside in a pot. Then I failed to bring it in before frost nipped it, and it nearly failed. Just one small section survived.

 So again I tended it, got it flourishing in the house. And then put it outside too soon. Cold nights nipped it. Back to one tiny section, which I'm starting in water as I did the original cutting. It must be wondering what maniac is tending it. A gardener who doesn't learn very fast.

It's related to the coleus, I believe, and is determined to survive. It's the plant from which the medication Vick's is derived. If you pinch and sniff, you'll detect the characteristic menthol smell.