Another type of Bloom

Last year around Remembrance Sunday and the time leading up to Remembrance Day, there was a very moving display of poppies at the Tower of London. You can see several photos at that link.

These were to commemorate the ones who died in World War I. (2014 being the centenary of the beginning of that war.) 888,246 ceramic poppies filled the moat, each one representing a British or colonial death during the conflict. It is made to look like a sea of blood pouring from a window in the Tower. It really put into perspective what that number meant...each one an individual.

There was an option for people to pay for one of the poppies. The money going to help wounded British Soldiers or the families of those who have died in service. So, the Thoughtful Man bought one. We understand that after the poppies were done touring you were to get your poppy back.

I had heard about some others receiving their poppies. But also from one of the volunteers who were 'picking' them and packing them. It was a very careful process, taking the poppy apart and packing the sections.

Well, last week our poppy arrived. I finally had time to take a photograph. It was taken in the evening in the near dark with the flash.

You can see that it has already spent time outdoors. For now it is stuck into a plant pot with a dormant plant. But when the better weather comes, we will have a think of where to put it.

I saw a clip somewhere about the making of these. As I noted above, they are ceramic. So there was a lot of moulding, firing, painting and hoping going on! I can't imagine how it must have been if, after all the work, a firing went wrong. It would be interesting as well to know how much clay was used.