Irises

When the murderer in “Loving the Celebrity Chef’ used yellow irises as his signature, I had no clue about where the idea had come from. It sent me off to research the significance of the flower. I was fascinated. Irises were the inspiration for the fleur-de-lys, the symbol of the French monarchy. (Angelique, main female character, is of French noble descent.) The different colours of the flower have different meanings. The yellow flower that the killer uses, represents passion. http://www.flowermeaning.com/iris-flower-meaning/ They are such beautiful flowers. I won’t take them for granted again.

Haiku

An unnatural combo –
iris and evil.
love and light prevail anew.

Italian restaurants

I’m no novice when it comes to Italian restaurants – either here in Australia or back in Italy in Rome, Florence, Siena or Venice. But when I set “Loving the Celebrity Chef” in one, I had to do a bit of work. What was the range on a typical restaurant menu? How often did it change? If the celebrity chef was teaching people to make his food at home, what sort of dishes would be prepared? I think I gained weight just doing the research. Then I threw a French pasty chef into the mix. How was she going to fit? Fortunately, I found that, like a lot of restaurants, even Italian ones allow some cultural latitude for crème brulee or tarte tatin.

Haiku

Love can bake quickly, just like –
pastries and pasta.
Rapturous pleasure, divine.