Orchids

I got a free ticket to attend an International Orchid Festival in Tokyo Dome, one of the city’s major baseball stadia. I’m not a big gardener or lover of flowers, but I thought it’d be cool to see some beautiful, rare plants.
In fact, it was the world’s tackiest event. It was Hyacinth Bucket’s dream come true. One gaudy display after another – think cotton wool rivers, toy racoons frolicking, and more greco-roman statuettes than you can shake a stick at. There were even samurai warriors dressed in armour made of orchids, for goodness sake.
The funny thing is, it made me feel closer to home. My parents would have LOVED it! When I saw a display made of broken umbrellas, bicycles, ladders and orchids I was transported back to my parents’ garden in Ireland. Their copper cistern planter or washing machine drum flowerpot would probably have won first prize.