by this February
Oh my, we are already entering the last week of February. This is a month of anniversaries and birthdays at Chez Rathje. First of the month saw the 12th anniversary of this blog, now limping along in its old age. Then there was one of those Big 0 birthdays for yours truly (also limping along, heh), alongside Valentine’s/Friendship Day, for which I received a big beautiful bouquet of deep red roses from my sweetheart. His birthday by the way is coming up soon as well. Here are the first of the roses to wither, still too gorgeous to discard and thus captured into memory.
In the garden, the snowdrops finished a while ago, the crocuses came out early, one pot of hellebores is in bloom and the mini daffodils and pale pink camellia are opening up. We have had a mild winter with no snow at sea level though lots on the mountains. Having grown up in Winnipeg, I still marvel at this early spring on the westcoast!
Related: see some photos from February 2013
February 22, 2016 in Blogging, Canada and BC, Current Events, Nature, Photography by Marja-Leena
I love your Havishamish pleasure in such things. Withering red roses always call up the Victorians for me. So velvety, and with a bit of puce and a bit of virulent pink mixed into the dried heart. (Thought of you last week as my big Hyppeastrum withered and went transparent.)
Enjoy all natal anniversaries and frolics!
Marly, as I was scanning these I thought of you and Miss Havisham! Glad you like it.
My hippeastrum is in bloom now but won’t last long. I have to keep turning it as it leans towards the light so much I fear it will tumble over.
Thanks for all the good wishes.
Mine did fall down–cats?–and slapped the floor. One blossom and stem broke and went into a vase…
Oh dear, at least you were able to rescue the one blossom. Mine finished a couple of days ago so I trimmed the flower stalk into the compost bucket. It really does not last long, does it? Even without cats.
This one won’t quit. It’s overpowering. It has three stalks! The third hasn’t even started opening yet. A broken bloom that I put in a bowl of water is still going strong. It looks edible, as if made of somewhat delicate lox.
Wow, Marly, I am quite envious. I don’t think I’ve ever had more than one stalk with up to three or four flowers on it! What is your secret green thumb tip?
Ah, my dear friend, Happy Blogiversary. Yours has had an a magnificent run, one that I hope will continue a long time.
The roses are still gorgeous.
Dear Susan, my Blogiversary went by before I remembered the date and I felt sorry I’ve been neglecting it. Glad you like the roses and thank you for the good wishes!
Dear Marja-Leena, so sorry I missed congratulating you on your Blogiversary but my wishes are still warm and ready to be toasted. Long may your blogging continue and prosper.The roses too are stunning – an Old Master still-life re-awakened on your Vancouver table.
Much love to you and yours.
Oh Natalie, do not apologize for it’s my fault for forgetting to post about it on its day for I don’t expect anyone to remember it. Thank you so much for all your kind words.
Such rich old velvet in those roses.
Happy belated birthday to you and your blog!
Rich old velvet indeed – I am so delighted how this scan turned out! My blog and I thank you, Lucy!
There is something decidedly satinish-Victorian about the roses – memories of experiences once or twice removed, yet still part of a hazy heritage. Many happy returns of everything good.
Tom, I love what you say about these roses, and for the good wishes.
So many colours, textures, and layers of meaning in those roses! Our experience of time through the distorting glass of memory is curious, untrustworthy, but fascinating. Anniversaries come and go so frequently, bringing pleasure, astonishment, and the curled edges of sadness. It is definitely a good philosophy to enjoy – to look for the pleasures in what is before us every day.
In the garden the plants continue to surprise – and delight. The hellebores have been out for some time now, but the rain does not diminish them. I suppose that’s the benefit of their flowers looking down. The blackthorn blossom is early by weeks, but the snowdrops were equally late, so their whites complement each other, shining on dull days. Our clematis plants all have leaves, but no buds yet, and I hold my breath in case there are frosts.
Olga, your lovely words and wisdom touch me deeply. And your garden sounds lovely too. As I read it, I suddenly realized I’d made an error in my post – camellia not clematis! Correction made. None of my clematis are in leaf yet. I used to have an evergreen winter type but lost it some years ago.
How rich in meaning and colour even dried roses are! Happy blogiversary and here’s an extra ‘Prost’ to festive February at your house!
Danke, dear Rouchswalwe!
All these wonderful wishes from so many friends remind me why I love blogging and why I need to get back to posting more often.