Valentine's Day

Once upon a time, Valentine’s Day meant cut-out books of anodyne valentines, painstakingly addressed to friends in primary school. It was a touchy business; quality and quantity mattered. Later, the day was marked by the punctual appearance of a mass of red roses on the desk of a colleague, who was rumoured to send them to herself if her boyfriend of the day was being unreliable. Now, in retirement, it means casually noticing that heart shapes are suddenly showing up in odd places – oh, that time of year again out in the bustling world. Here are a few reminders I’ve encountered lately:

If you can have a Christmas tree, why not a Valentine tree? Somebody must have been thinking along those lines when they hung red and pink valentines on this tree in a North Vancouver park. My sister Betty fits right in with her bright red jacket.

It took me awhile to realize that the somewhat scraggly line of snowdrops on this Vancouver boulevard were actually picking out the shape of a heart. They were luckily blooming just in time for Valentine's Day.

The Valentine connection in this photo is semi-hidden behind the daffodils, which were too pretty not to include. See below:

"Love" and "Hate" windows, marking at least the first aspect of Valentine's Day, were for sale at Southlands Nursery. I'm curious about where they might end up -- the "Love" part would be easy, but the "Hate" part might be tricky.

The details of those windows: According to the price tag ($2,500 each or $4,000 for both), they come from an old tattoo parlour in England.