Amaryllis

Having nurtured this bulb for weeks I was worried that I might miss its swan song, so I was happy to find it at the fullest, most theatrical point of its life on my return.

I had actually lent it to someone during my week away so that they might enjoy the glorious blooms. This was someone I had barely spoken to before, and those few conversations had been heavily bicycle-influenced, which made for a somewhat awkward encounter when I pitched up at their door on a Friday evening bearing a massive vase containing a metre-high flower.