D is for dracunculus and decimal currency

memories

Dracunculus vulgaris

These unusual lilies were originally planted by my grandfather, Frederick Arthur Roberts. They grew near the old chestnut tree for many years and had nearly died out by the time Mum and I decided to rescue them. We knew them as Dead Horse Lilies though that name is usually given to a different species. They have beautifully marked green and white stems and deep purple flowers. A wonderful garden plant except for the smell of rotting meat on the one or two days a year that it needs to attract flies for pollination! The hotter the day, the worse the smell.


dead horse lilystems

 

 

 

 

 

Decimal Currency

Australia changed from using pounds, shillings and pence to dollars and cents on 14th February 1966. My first view of the new currency occurred that morning on the school bus when one of our teachers showed us some shiny new coins with Australian animals on the reverse.  There seemed to be quite a fuss being made of the “decimal currency babies” who were born that day. My youngest brother had arrived five days earlier and so missed out on the attention.

8 thoughts on “D is for dracunculus and decimal currency”

  1. I have never heard of Dead Horse Lilies, but that sounds like a proper name for them if they smell like rotting meat. I stopped bringing daffodils into the house when someone told me they smell like urine.
    Visiting from A to Z
    Wendy at Jollett Etc.

    1. Thanks Wendy
      The true dead horse lilies are also carrion flowers.
      I had heard that some people didn’t like jonquils in the house, but didn’t realise that about daffs.

  2. 14 February 1966 saw me in high school, and at recess time and lunch time, virtually everyone crowded into the canteen to buy something (even a large sixpenny Wagon Wheel), when one proferred a 1/- piece to the lady behind the counter, in the hope that she would give you a 5c piece as change. Some people were lucky; some weren’t.

    1. I think that there was a period of overlap for the two currencies so you probably just paid the same way that you did the week before!

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