^^
42.
Most people have a vase or two in a cupboard, but lots of things can be turned into stylish containers for a flower arrangement, so before you rush out to buy anything, look around your own home. For instance, goldfish bowls look
stunning filled with flower heads or petals, magnifying their contents. Wine, milk, mineral water, or olive oil bottles look particularly good with one or two stems in them. Try a collection of bottles in various shapes and
sizes, lined up on a shelf or grouped on a table. An old teapot which has lost its lid becomes an ideal container for a bunch of roses picked from the garden.
43.
In Pamplona, a white-walled, sun-baked town high up in the hills of Navarre, is held in the first two weeks of July each year the World’s Series of bull fighting. The
cafes under the wide arcades that run around the Plaza de la Constitucion have every table crowded. All day and all night there is dancing in the street. Bands of blue-shirted farmers circle and lift and swing behind a
drum and various wind instruments in the ancient Basque Riau-Riau dances. And at night there is the beat of the big drums and the military band as the whole towndances in the great open square of the Plaza.
44.
Whether their grandchildren have special needs or not, grandparents shouldn’t overlook the value of incidental learning experiences. Every day, opportunities exist in the form of errands, meal preparation, and chores. At the farmers’ market, for example, a child might discover a new meaning for the word ‘ears’when choosing corn. Similarly, when filling the tank at the gas station, older children can compare prices and practice estimation, asking questions such as “How much do you think it will cost to fill the tank?” One grandmother hires her grandchildren to help with gardening chores. As a result, they can learn the names of flowers and understand the tools and processes involved in growing vegetables. Activities like these also enhance the value of hard work and persistence.
