Rosa 'Abraham Darby'  19 July 2021

I  would consider the 2ist century the age of cleavage and pristine perfection.  That is all we see in social media and in newspapers (the ones that are left) or in celebrity sites.

This is why I have a deep admiration for Charlotte Rampling who wonderfully looks her age and I believe was never tempted to go for Botox.

It seems that this century is the century of pristine perfection. When women (of a certain age, and, what is considered a certain age? post photographs of themselves in social media including Instagram their friends comment, “Still looking good”. If someone put that under a picture of me I would have homicidal thoughts towards the offending person.

In my garden I have after many years come to appreciate how a garden (the heat this year has not helped) in July begins to show a tired wear. The lovely and perfect hosta leaves are not so perfect. My roses (the ones that are remontant) have bloomed and are in a waiting period. Some will bloom in early fall.

Meanwhile I appreciate and notice flowers that are not perfect.

I tell people that I miss my Rosemary and when I think of her (all the time) that I loved the way she looked being 76. I loved her exactly as she was. We met when we were in our early 20s. That was history.

I believe that young immigrants coming to Vancouver are interested in new and brand name stuff. But I believe that once they settle down they will appreciate antiques and old cars. Some of those houses featured in mu Vancouver Sun Homes section are pristine and do not look lived in. There is no clutter. Everything is in its place. To me those houses are not homes. My mother used to tell me that a house is not a home until you hang pictures on the wall. Can a large flat-screen TV be a lively article of decoration?

My almost rant above (I try not to rant) is but an excuse to place here a scan of a rose that is definitely past its prime. This Rosa ‘Abraham Darby’ has managed to keep all its petals and I think it is beautiful.

This blog will be posted back in June even though I scanned this bloom today 19 July 2021. I have holes to fill in past months because I have had a terrible blog writing block because of my persistent melancholy over the death of my wife back on December 9, 2020.