A ~ Z of Marvelousness: R is for Red Hair

Red Hair

Red hair is the rarest natural hair color in humans and the term redhead has been in use since around 1510.

It is believed that redheads have fiery tempers and sharp tongues...

Redhead Day is celebrated in the Netherlands every September. The two-day festival is a gathering of people with natural red hair. Marvelous...                                                                           

A ~ Z of Marvelousness: P is for Pomegranate

Pomegranate

• One of the most beautiful fruits out there!
• It is traditional in Greece to break a pomegranate on the ground at weddings and on New Years.
• Apparently the pomegranate has 613 seeds.
• I like the marvelous pomegranate seeds in a Pear and Blue Cheese Salad.

A ~ Z of Marvelousness: C is for Coffee

Coffee

• I prefer my coffee black but enjoyed this particularly pretty cup at 71 Irving Place, Gramercy, New York City, Irving Farm being one of the best coffee roasters out there.
• Where to even start singing the praises of coffee? The smell of coffee on a cold winter morning, sitting on the sidewalk, people-watching, sipping on a cup of coffee. Fellow coffee drinkers (the great like-minded) agreeing that coffee is always a good idea... Anticipating that first cup of coffee is often the greatest motivator to get out of bed.
• I know that Java refers to beans produced on the Indonesian island of Java but it does rolls beautifully off the tongue…
• A guy called Sheik Omar discovered coffee. After being exiled from Yemen, he started chewing on berries from a shrub to foil starvation. After roasting the bitter berries, he discovered their flavor and after boiling them he discovered the deliciously fragrant taste of coffee… People were so impressed with his discovery that he was invited back to his country and made a saint..

A ~ Z of Marvelousness: A is for Amaryllis

Amaryllis

• Amaryllis Belladonna – even the name sounds marvelous...
• One tall, elegant stem and a cluster of huge, red funnel-shaped flowers.
• In Greek mythology,  Amaryllis was a shy shepherdess in love with a guy who only loved flowers. Because he would only love someone who brings him a new flower, Amaryllis pierced her heart daily for a month and from her blood sprang a crimson flower.
• It means “to sparkle”…true inner beauty emanating outwards…
• And native of the Western Cape region of South Africa (as am I)