Yellow Peril...

In my last post I mentioned that I'd been travelling in the USA and one of the rare delights of hanging about (for hours!) in airport terminals is browsing through the local portfolio of magazines. The New Yorker is a bit of a fave so that's found its way into my reading pile again. But I've uncovered a new candidate for my affections - Mental Floss - and having recently discovered their witty snippets on twitter (@mental_floss), I was delighted to find the magazine on the newsstand and spent part of my time Seattle-bound, devouring its pages.

Anyway this leads to the point of this post - flowers. In particular, yellow flowers. And not because it's Valentine's Day. 

(I'm a bit bah-humbug about Valentine's Day and would much prefer to receive protestations of love all year 'round.)

No, it's because I have just purchased my first daffodils of 2014.

This is a bunch from a prior year as mine haven't bloomed yet. However I expect to get up tomorrow morning and seeing bright bobbing blossoms emerging from their green buds.

Sigh!

I do find such happiness in a simple (and inexpensive) bunch of cheerful daffs.

But according to Mental Floss, when it comes to a splash of golden colour, it's not always sunshine and roses daffodils. In fact it could be downright perilous.

In Japan, a bunch of yellow flowers means 'I'm jealous' so green with envy seems not to apply in the land of the rising sun. In Peru, it's a declaration of hatred while in Russia, the message is 'let's break up', not exactly what you'd want to receive at any time of the year let alone on the 14th of February. 

But yellow flowers need not always be a declaration of your lack of affection. According to Mental Floss, if you are in Mexico, scattering marigolds over someone's grave means 'come back to Earth and visit me'...

Marigolds decorate this grave to encourage the soul to rise again

So on this St Valentine's Day, if you've planned to say it with flowers, choosing yellow may not be the floral tribute your heart's desire is looking for.

However, my source informs me that daffodils mean rebirth and new beginnings, regard and chivalry and 'you're the only one'.

So if I'm your 'one' - or even one of a special 'few' - you can feel free to send me some of these golden yellow trumpets any time of the year.