A shell full of flowers

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12: 9

A Conch Shell filled with floristry foam.

We have had this shell with 4 others of different types for about 20 years. They were spotted by me at different times in charity shops. A Mollusk / sea snail lives inside a conch shell and she/he ( they are a separate sex) gets around on a foot / horn. This one doesn’t look of an age to be able to mate because its lip isn’t 15 mm thick but it does flare. After mating there can be as many as 400,000 eggs. There needs to be that number because there is a difficult life ahead. After 5 days they hatch then float around on the currents for about 3 weeks until they find a good place to settle. They then spend a year buried in the sand after which they leave their hiding place but are vulnerable to turtles and sharks. By year 3 they have a thick shell which provides protection and then at 4/5 years old they are mature. They may then live for 40 years if they aren’t eaten or experience changes to their environment . People have enjoyed eating these mollusks as meat for centuries and the warmer oceans with more chemicals in them stop them from having a good life. I am in awe of this beautiful shell and as I work with it and the flowers i can only respect and glorify Our creator.

I had just put the arrangement down on the mirror when I heard Roy say: “take that to Mummy”. Bess had found a covid 19 mask and was happy to present it to me in exchange for a treat.

The mint in the arrangement is in flower. I am glad I brought in a few bunches before it went into this stage. I am also using Cinerea Eucalyptus leaves and Curry plant leaves as well as a bit of ivy as the foliage for this arrangement.