Mrs. Teabody on For-cynthia

Good Morning, Gentle Readers! Hopefully, your slumber was restful and you find yourself in the mood to slay a few dragons today, meaning that in a mostly metaphorical sense. In spite of little shoots of discomfort rocketing along her extremities from an ambitious first garden foray, Mrs. Teabody finds herself quite ready to get drunk on spring. Nothing heralds one of Mrs. Teabody's four favorite seasons more than  a spot or a group or a long glowing border of forsythia. Consider this marvelous shrub. She bursts into bud ahead of everything but witch hazel and pussy willow, and every inch of her being shouts, "I am alive; look at me!" without a single drop of support from all the other shrubs and bulbs and towering trees still locked in winter's embrace. If forsythia were a student, she would be a gifted student. If forsythia were in a rock band, she'd play lead guitar. If forsythia competed on "Project Runway" she would win every challenge and be declared an early winner. Luckily, Mother Nature chose her to be all those things and made her the unmistakable harbinger of blooms to come.

Speaking of blooms to come, Mrs. Teabody and her excellent good friend, Lady Glass, have less than six weeks before they will find themselves sharing the flower-powered Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show. Mr. Wikipedia relates this information about the long history of the show:

"The first Royal Horticultural Society Great Spring Show was held in 1862, at the RHS garden in Kensington. Before this date the RHS had held flower shows from 1833 in their garden in Chiswick, which themselves had been preceded by fetes. The Kensington Garden was chosen as a site because the flower shows in Chiswick were experiencing falling visitor numbers due to problems such as poor transport links. The Great Spring Show was held at Kensington for twenty-six years but in 1888 the RHS decided to move the show to the heart of London. The site chosen was the Temple Gardens, situated between the Embankment and Fleet Street, which had a recorded history dating back to 1307 and which were said to date from the time of the Knights Templar. The roses for which these Temple Gardens were famous were alluded to in Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 1. Using two marquees requisitioned from the old Kensington shows the 1888 show was a success with exhibits from both amateurs and commercial firms. In 1912, the Temple Show was cancelled to make way for the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. Sir Harry Veitch, the great nurseryman, secured the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, for this one-off event. It proved such a good site for an exhibition that the Great Spring Show was moved there in 1913, where it has taken place almost every year since. Go here to have a look for yourself:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/2012

Both Mrs. Teabody and Lady Glass have spent most of their adult lives dreaming about attending the Chelsea show, and one day a few months back when mortality seemed especially bent on ruining future good times, both made the plunge, buying the last two tickets BEFORE purchasing air fare or an hotel. Since that fateful day, so many plans have been made as this is Lady Glass's very first visit, and Mrs. Teabody plans to make it a doozy for her friend.  A day hopping on and off  red double decker London Sightseeing buses, afternoon tea at Brown's Hotel, the successful West End show, The Audience,  featuring a favorite, Helen Mirren and a friend, Richard McCabe, a new Pompeii exhibit at the British Museum,  a studio and exhibit visit to that textiles wizard Kaffee Fassett , and the just purchased BritRailEngland trips to Mrs. Teabody's beloved Stratford-upon-Avon, Windsor, and a sleeper train followed by a full day's meanderings around Cornwall. Just writing about it ratchets up Mrs. Teabody's resolve to condition herself for the trip and the now daily perambulations will do much to prepare.

There is nothing quite like visiting places you love with a congenial and adventuresome companion who is seeing it all for the very first time. The very thought of watching Lady Glass's eyes when she sees the view from Westminster Bridge or walks inside St. Paul's or stands reading scribbled messages inside the Tower of London brings a mist to Mrs. Teabody's eyes, and the idea that she and Lady Glass will be together to see the Chelsea Flower Show for the very first time makes Mrs. Teabody's heart almost sing.

When Lady Cynthia Glass was a very, very little girl, her father identified the bright, blooming harbinger of spring and renewal shown above as a "For-cynthia"to her, and for the first many years of her life, she thought it was actually called For-cynthia. Ever since she told Mrs. Teabody this charming story, Mrs. Teabody has called it For-cynthia, too.

It's spring, Gentle Reader. Do plan a journey with a  dear friend. Even if it's just a journey to a local tea shop.  Ta for now, Darlings!