Proteas in many guises

Proteas are one of the flowers that are found mainly in the Cape in South Africa; they are hardy & very elegant. There are many species & they remain very popular because they last long.

While back in South Africa, I really enjoyed seeing them widely because they really bring back happy memories; my Mom’s late brother always bought proteas for her.

I love the authenticity of Proteas, they are woody, honest, stunning. Their beauty is in their simplicity

My cousins have a fresh arrangement delivered regularly - this is elegant with the various blooms

How can you not love the sculptural quality of the blooms ...

Faux proteas are widely found too, many are so good that it is hard to tell the difference ...

The province (county) of Kwa Zulu Natal is known for its beadwork. I have seen these beaded proteas in magazines & online & could barely contain my excitement when I saw them. I just knew some would be going home with me. 

It is labour intensive work to make these & they are heavy but quite stunning ...

I visited this very same site some years back when my Mother was still with us & so this was a happy visit because she loved both proteas & bead work. We visited it twice with her & she bought me a small picnic basket from there that I still use & I have photos of her & my girls at the same market with my parents.  I know she would have approved of me buying some to take with as a reminder of Africa & a reminder of the shared visits with her ....

The beaded displays are just an absolute joy to behold - so much talent & beauty ...

Authentically Zulu - 7 different ones have winged their way back with me.

A final stop in a homeware shop I am very fond of, & these were there - how stunning are they. I did not buy any because of space; I had a large collection of my grandmothers photos to bring back & they were more important.

However, the most important proteas were for the family graves in the cemetery - to honour them, along with special stones I had selected on the beach for them, following the Yiddish traditions of stones last longer than flowers. The purple & pink flowers for my great aunt were because she coloured her hair with a blue rinse & applied red rouge to her cheeks - the two colours met at her temple - a lovely maiden aunt I loved dearly.

I hope you have enjoyed the beauty of these Proteas as much as I enjoyed finding & sharing them.

Thank you for stopping by, for supporting my blog & being kind enough to leave a comment

Dee ~💕~