Vanilla is used as a flavourant in baking and dessert making; it's a spice derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved Vanilla.
The word Vanilla, derived from vainilla, the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina, is translated simply as little pod.
Madagascar Vanilla pods packed in a pretty carved wooden container, a gift from my brother when he was working on this little island.
My mini Pavlovas are made with Vanilla flavoured Meringues.
Home cooks mostly use Vanilla Essence which is a synthetic, chemically produced product whereas the Extract is natural but more expensive.
The word Variegated is a very descriptive adjective, telling us we're looking at something that has varying characteristics.
In botany it is used where a leaf or a flower has irregular patches in varying colours, like the:
Variegated Camellia Japonica
There are over 2000 cultivars of this showy shrub with beautiful single or double flowers in varying shades of red, pink or white.
Our shrub has grown to a height of around 3 metres and is at its best during spring and early summer and bears the most stunning deep coral and white Variegated flowers.
The Variegated Calamondin is a citrus tree that bears fruit that looks like a miniature Mandarin.
This is the first time I've seen a fruit tree with Variegated leaves; this one edged in a pale yellow.
The Variegated brickwork in the wall below has really pretty shades of pale peach and blue/grey.
Verge, like many other words in the English language, can have more than one meaning.
A Verge can be a border or an edging; here we used a ground cover as an edging for a paved pathway in our garden.
A narrow concrete strip was used here to edge our brick paved driveway as something more solid was required with Vehicles moving in and out.
A house we visited down the coast where they also edged the brick paved driveway with a concrete strip, but used an ornamental low hedge to frame the Verge.
On the other hand when we say I was on the verge of crying, it means that I was just about to burst into tears.
The Verge also is the name of an American technology news website.
Which takes us to our next word and that is:
SO, this is not a real Vehicle as you can see, it is one built by sand artists and of course it won't even budge so forget about this one taking you places!
I'll show you a real Vehicle, and that is my dear friend Linda’s spotless 1975 Volkswagen Beetle which was named Skillie Skilpad by her daughter; Skilpad meaning tortoise, and wore a tortoise sticker for years. Skillie did not offer a smooth ride but that did not deter Linda from bumping along the road on her daily mission; always out and about lending a helping hand to one and all! My dear friend left us unexpectedly two years ago and is missed by many!
A Veranda is an open-aired extension of a building, has a roof and may be partly enclosed by a railing. Wrap-around Verandas became popular during the Victorian Era.
This would extend across the front and sides of the building, and is the perfect gathering spot to catch a bit of winter sun and enjoy a tea or coffee break, or for cooling down on a hot summer evening for cocktails.
And so my Alphabet hunt comes to an end, but not before I share one last food related word with you:
Vegetables can be a bone of contention around the dinner table for little ones, but luckily my children always loved their Vegetables which would mostly be served as a side dish along with the main dish either being meat for the carnivorous or a different kind of protein like beans and legumes for Vegans.
Vegetables are packed with nutrients so is vital for a healthy, balanced diet.
Corn on the cob served with Salsa, garlic & herb butter and mashed Avocado.
A fresh Cabbage and Onion with some herbs that can be used to make Cabbage Koftas or a Cabbage Curry.
This has been my contribution to the Colourful Feel-Good Artist @barbara-orenya's #AlphabetHunt letter V, hope you enjoyed hunting the V's with me.
Here are the simple guide lines of the game :
Make a post with 6 of your own photos representing an object or concept that begins with the letter of the week.
- if you post in the Feel Good community (hive-190931 as first tag for those who post from eSteem) you will participate in a random draw rewarding 5 people with 1 Hive each 😊
- use the hashtag #alphabetHunt and call me @barbara-orenya with a mention + leave your link in comment below this post so that others can see it too and have an easy access to it 😉
You have until next Wednesday 10pm UTC to post
And most importantly : Have fun, enjoy this hunt and make sure your readers also have an enjoyable moment discovering your trophy images!
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