SEASON WELL

Last night was the AGM at our Japanese Society.  Afterwards we were treated to a display of flower arranging (ikebana) by a 2nd dan master of the Ohara school, which features highly seasonal arrangements.  There are up to 24 seasons in Japan, but because of the odd weather this year (it's still 11 degrees outside here), the main arrangement was winter/early spring ('risshun' in Japanese), which would in Japan be around the 4 February.

This is the main arrangement

A bit difficult to get a good shot with all the external noise, but I hope you can see it.  I think there are 10 different plants in the display.

 

As with other schools of ikebana, the containers are as important as the plants.  The Ohara style is what Westerners might call 'simple'.  But of course that's because it is easy for an expert to arrange.  Here is one which might be early March (when the insects wake up but the buds haven't burst).

And this is another which might in Japan be early January (before it gets really cold).

I have to say that it's nice to find so much colour in the present season which cheered us all up no end.